Demonstration of Single-Mode Multicore Fiber Transport Network With Crosstalk-Aware In-Service Optical Path Control

Multicore fiber (MCF) transmission is considered as one of the promising technologies for breaking the capacity limit of traditional single mode fibers. Managing the crosstalk (XT) and configuring optical paths adaptively based on the XT as well as achieving longer distance and larger capacity transmission are important, because intercore XT could be the main limiting factor for MCF transmission. In a real MCF network, the intercore XT in a particular core is likely to change continuously as the optical paths in the adjacent cores are dynamically assigned to match the dynamic nature of the data traffic. If we configure the optical paths while ignoring the intercore XT value, the Q-factors may become excessive. Therefore, monitoring the intercore XT value continuously and configuring optical path parameters adaptively and flexibly are essential. To address these challenges, we develop an MCF transport network testbed and demonstrate an XT-aware traffic engineering scenario. With the help of a software-defined network controller, the modulation format and optical path route are adaptively changed based on the monitored XT values by using programmable devices such as a real-time transponder and a reconfigurable optical add–drop multiplexer.