Long-Haul Coupled 4-Core Fiber Transmission Over 7,200 Km With Real-Time MIMO DSP

In this work, we present an experimental demonstration of real-time transoceanic space-division multiplexed transmission with coupled-core multicore fibers. To compensate for modal coupling in the coupled-core multicore fibers, we implement real-time multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) digital signal processing based on field programmable gate array circuits. Using optical receivers with a real-time MIMO, we demonstrate 16-channel wavelength-division multiplexed coupled four-core fiber transmission over 7200 km. The results show the feasibility of real-time coupled-core multicore fiber transmission.