Impact of the band selector detuning on DD multi-band OFDM virtual-carrier assisted metro network performance

The impact of the band selector (BS) detuning on multi-band (MB) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals performance employing virtual-carriers in direct-detection networks is assessed through numerical simulation. Two, three and four-band MB-OFDM systems operating at 42.8 Gb/s are optimized for a Gaussian BS and its performance is compared with the one of a higher selectivity (2-nd order super Gaussian) BS. It is shown that the MB-OFDM system presents a maximum error vector magnitude (EVM) penalty of 1 dB for a BS frequency detuning range of 1.5 GHz, and a EVM difference lower than 1 dB is obtained between the two considered BS.