Heterodyne lightwave systems: moving towards commercial use

The advantages of heterodyne detection are reviewed, and a historical summary aimed at showing that this technology is on track toward increasing commercialization over the next five to ten years is given. Solutions to many important problems are described, and the remaining problems are examined. Heterodyne detection is briefly compared with an alternative technique using direct detection, and a reasonable evolutionary path toward the incorporation of heterodyne techniques in various types of communication systems is discussed.<
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