Network experiment using an 8000 GHz tuning-range optical filter

A tunable optical filter with 180 MHz resolution and continuous tuning range of 8000 GHz was used in a lightwave network experiment. Three 50Mbit/s channels with minimum channel spacing of 1.6 GHz and maximum channel pacing of 4000 GHz were individually received error-free in the presence of interfering optical power corresponding to 6000 channels.