Optimization of Optical Flat Comb Source based on Dual-Arm Mach-Zehnder modulator for flexgrid terabit superchannel WDM-Nyquist systems

In this paper, we investigate the generation of ultra-flat Optical Flat Comb Source (OFCS) using an asymmetrically driven Dual Arm Mach-Zehnder modulator (DA-MZM). A modified simulated annealing-based optimization method is applied to derive the necessary ranges for which the comb source is ultra-flat (less than 1 dB ripple) over 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 carriers where the driving signals are well within the nominal operational range of a typical LiNbO
3
MZM, and an acceptable output optical power is reached.