Optical Equalization of Nonlinear Signal Distortion in 42.7-Gb/s RZ Transmission

We describe an experimental demonstration of the reduction of intrachannel nonlinear distortion in 42.7-Gb/s return-to-zero transmission with 107.5-km amplifier spans without Raman amplification using an optical equalizer (OEQ). This allowed an increase in the transmission distance from 2043 to 3010 km. The mechanism of nonlinear penalty mitigation by the OEQ-generated satellite pulses is described.