32 x 2.5 Gigabitb/Second Optical Code Division Multiplexing for Agile Optical Networking

65876 This project will combine code division multiplexing with wavelength division multiplexing to produce a large number of communication channels that support bursty, asynchronous, concurrent communications. During Phase I, a set of 32 wavelength/time matrix codes was explored by means of design studies, simulations, and subscale experiments on a fiber optic link. This exploration included signal processing for mitigating the inter-symbol interference and the multi-access interference associated with the coding. The propagation of the codes over a 476 km optical link of the National Transparent Optical Network was measured in conjunction with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and means of modulating the laser sources for coding were measured in conjunction with the Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In Phase II, an R&D prototype of the wavelength/time matrix coding will be detail-designed, fabricated, assembled, tested, and evaluated. Analytical and simulation efforts will be used to refine the design and determine the associated signal processing. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The technology should further the design, development, and demonstration of a Gigabit Ethernet network that supports bursty, asynchronous, concurrent exchange of data over a right-of-way defined network. The concept could be readily extended to metropolitan topologies as well as to distributed computing networks in a building or a floor, or to the distribution of HDTV on demand.