Adaptive software defined networking control of space division multiplexing super-channels exploiting the spatial-mode dimension

Space division multiplexing (SDM) super-channels are the only way to guarantee a sustainable scaling of the optical line interface rate. High-capacity terabit interfaces can be deployed by logically associating several optical sub-channels transmitted in parallel in different spatial cores or modes in order to create an (logical) optical channel with the desired interface rate. This paper is focused on the use of spatial modes for SDM super-channels. First, we present a software defined networking (SDN)-controlled disaggregated SDM network architecture that deploys the proposed sliceable-mode transceivers with multiple-input multiple-output equalization. Then, we present the adaptive SDN workflow and heuristics for the provisioning, scaling up/down, and soft-failure restoration of SDM super-channels using spatial modes. Two proofs of concept are deployed in the joint testbed between KDDI Research and CTTC.