Polarization mode dispersion power penalty; influence of rise/fall times, receiver Q and amplifier noise

A new approach for studying the power penalty due to polarization mode dispersion (PMD) is discussed in detail. By using quasianalytical techniques, running statistical averages over the involved random variables and fitting simple functions to the obtained results, a closed form expression for the transmission impairment of PMD is obtained. This expression collects in a single formula the influence of transmitter rise/fall times, receiver Q factor and amplifier noise.