Open AccessOAM-labeled free-space optical flow routing
Author(s) -
Shecheng Gao,
Ting Lei,
Yangjin Li,
Yangsheng Yuan,
Zhenwei Xie,
Zhaohui Li,
Xiaocong Yuan
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.24.021642
Subject(s) - multiplexer , optical add drop multiplexer , multiplexing , computer science , routing (electronic design automation) , optical transport network , optical communication , optical switch , optical performance monitoring , optical cross connect , scalability , bandwidth (computing) , demultiplexer , optical burst switching , free space optical communication , optics , topology (electrical circuits) , electronic engineering , wavelength division multiplexing , physics , telecommunications , computer network , optical fiber , engineering , electrical engineering , wavelength , database
Space-division multiplexing allows unprecedented scaling of bandwidth density for optical communication. Routing spatial channels among transmission ports is critical for future scalable optical network, however, there is still no characteristic parameter to label the overlapped optical carriers. Here we propose a free-space optical flow routing (OFR) scheme by using optical orbital angular moment (OAM) states to label optical flows and simultaneously steer each flow according to their OAM states. With an OAM multiplexer and a reconfigurable OAM demultiplexer, massive individual optical flows can be routed to the demanded optical ports. In the routing process, the OAM beams act as data carriers at the same time their topological charges act as each carrier's labels. Using this scheme, we experimentally demonstrate switching, multicasting and filtering network functions by simultaneously steer 10 input optical flows on demand to 10 output ports. The demonstration of data-carrying OFR with nonreturn-to-zero signals shows that this process enables synchronous processing of massive spatial channels and flexible optical network.