Low-Complexity Adaptive Frequency-Domain Nonlinear Equalization for Analog RoF Mobile Fronthaul Using FFT/IFFT-Assisted Channel Aggregation

Addressing the nonlinearity induced signal degradation is of critical importance for harvesting the transparent benefits of an analog radio over fiber (A-RoF) architecture, to support mobile fronthaul (MFH) with high spectral efficiency and reduced latency. Here, for linearizing the low-latency A-RoF MFH using digital-domain fast Fourier transform /inverse fast Fourier transform (FFT/IFFT) assisted channel aggregation/de-aggregation (CA/DA), we propose and experimentally demonstrate a compatible adaptive frequency-domain (FD) nonlinear equalization scheme. This scheme is characterized by a much lower computational complexity compared with the popular time-domain Volterra nonlinear equalizer while delivering a comparable performance. The proposed equalization scheme is implemented using the FD two-box cascaded Hammerstein structure. It enables simplified coefficients estimation, computationally efficient equalization, FFT/IFFT calculation reusing in channel DA, and shared legacy one-tap FD linear equalization in the OFDM system. Experimental validations of the proposed nonlinear equalization approach are carried out via typical electroabsorption modulator (EAM) and Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) based intensity modulation and direct detection (IMDD) A-RoF links. Cost-effective fiber-optic (with EAM) and optical up-conversion enabled V-band millimeter-wave (mm-wave) fiber-wireless (with MZM) transmissions are demonstrated. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme can effectively improve the performances of both EAM and MZM based 10-km fiber-optic A-RoF MFH links, in terms of the (>8 dB) reduction of adjacent channel leakage ratio, (>10 dB) improvement of error-vector magnitude (EVM) and (>5 dB) enhancement of input intermediate-frequency (IF) power range, which retains an acceptable (below 8 %) EVM performance for the 64-QAM modulation. The input IF signal aggregates 8 125-MHz 64-QAM OFDM channels. Furthermore, the proposed scheme enables the transmission of a 5-Gbit/s aggregated IF 64-QAM signal over a 10-km fiber link and 1.2-m 60-GHz wireless channel, wherein a >12 dB improved input power margin is observed.