FMCW-based monitoring and signaling for reconfigurable optical networks

In conventional optical FMCW fiber network monitoring the spatial resolution is limited by the laser linewidth. To overcome this limitation, two different approaches of optical network monitoring based on FMCW are eval- uated and their performance is experimentally compared in terms of spatial resolution, dynamic range and multiple-target detection capability. Additionally, the FMCW monitoring system is combined with a signaling scheme for reconfigurable optical networks based on optical chirp slope detection. This opens the possibility to simultaneously monitor the optical network and to switch network key components from a central point hence paving the way to greener photonic networks.