Embodiments of this disclosure provide an apparatus and method for monitoring an optical signal to noise ratio, a receiver and a communication system. The apparatus for monitoring an optical signal to noise ratio includes extracting signals from signals obtained after an equalization processing is performed on optical signals received by a receiver, the optical signals including signals of known frequencies, and the signals extracted having the same spectral characteristics as the signals of known frequencies; correcting, according to filtering parameters used in the equalization processing, the signals extracted and outputting corrected signals; and calculating an optical signal to noise ratio according to the corrected signals. According to the embodiments of this disclosure, the optical signal to noise ratio may be calculated more accurately.

Described herein is a solution to address the intrinsic nonlinearity of analog signals and the restrictions this places on the signals dynamic range. The subject matter described herein produces linear electro-optic modulation over a dramatically wider range of the input signal amplitude. This is accomplished by a distributed multiwavelength design that folds the large dynamic range across multiple linear subranges, with each subrange being addressed using an optical wavelength. As a result, the subrange within the wide dynamic range of the input signal is captured by the linear portion of the transfer function of a single transfer function. Several physical implementations of this subject are presented herein. This innovation enables the efficient use of optical links for the transmission and processing of analog and multilevel signals, overcoming the limitations that were once hindering progress in this field.

The disclosed methods, apparatus, and systems allow safe and easy deployment of amplifier products that exceed laser safe limits without the need for fiber testing and characterization or OTDR techniques. One example embodiment is a method for ensuring eye safety in an optical network. The example method includes detecting optical connectivity between an output of a transmit amplifier and a passive optical processing element. The transmit amplifier is located at a first network node and is configured to output optical power greater than eye-safe level. The passive optical processing element is located at a second network node and is configured to guarantee a reduction of a maximum optical power level at an output side of the passive optical processing element to an eye-safe optical level. The detecting occurs at the first network node, and the transmit amplifier is enabled or disabled as a function of detection of the optical connectivity.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a signal processing apparatus, a signal transmitting apparatus and a receiver, which are adapted for a frequency division multiplexing system having a high-order modulation format. A receiver having a high-magnification sampling rate by inserting a pilot signal between neighboring subcarriers at a transmitter side, calculating a laser phase noise according to a phase of the pilot signal at a receiver side, and performing down-sampling and equalization processing after performing carrier phase recovery according to the laser phase noise, so that a laser phase noise having a wide frequency may be accurately compensated, thereby having a relatively powerful carrier phase recovery ability.

A receiving device receives a received signal in which a data signal, modulated by using a phase modulation method, and a pilot signal are time-multiplexed. The receiving device includes a synchronizing circuit that synchronizes the phase of the received signal. The synchronizing circuit extracts a pilot signal from the received signal. The synchronizing circuit estimates a phase error by comparing the extracted pilot signal and a predetermined pattern. The synchronizing circuit conducts phase rotation on constellation points of the received signal in accordance with the reference phase, obtained from the phase error, and the phase in the modulation method related to the received signal. The synchronizing circuit estimates a phase estimate value of the received signal in accordance with the constellation points, on which phase rotation has been conducted. The synchronizing circuit compensates for a phase error of the received signal in accordance with the phase estimate value.

The disclosure is directed at a method and system for optical telecommunications performance monitoring via a dual frequency pilot tone. By applying a dual frequency pilot tone, with a first pilot tone frequency selected from a low frequency band and a second pilot tone frequency selected from a high frequency band, either simultaneously or alternatively, to a wavelength channel, one of the pilot tone frequencies may be adaptively selected to improve wavelength channel monitoring. More specifically, stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) caused crosstalk and chromatic dispersion (CD) caused pilot fading which adversely affect performance monitoring of the wavelength channel may be reduced.

Methods and systems are described for communicating an optical data signal. An example method may comprise receiving data. The example method may comprise modulating the data to generate a modulated data signal. The modulated data signal may comprise a first level modulated with a first beacon tone and a second level modulated with a second beacon tone. The second level may be modulated in phase with the first level. The method may comprise transmitting an optical signal comprising the modulated data signal.

Methods for systems are described for communicating an optical data signal. An example method may comprise receiving a data signal comprising a first level indicative of an upper end of a power range of the data signal and a second level indicative of a lower end of the power range of the data signal. The example method may comprise modulating the data signal to generate a modulated data signal. The modulated data signal may comprise the first level modulated with a first beacon tone and the second level modulated with a second beacon tone. The second level may be modulated in phase with the first level. The method may comprise transmitting an optical signal comprising the modulated data signal.

Embodiments can provide spurs removal in a pilot-tone spread signal. For achieving this, at least one peak in the pilot-tone spread signal may be found. A predetermined small range of the spectra power around the at least one peak may be removed. In some situations, the removal of the spurs in the pilot-tone spread signal may result in inadvertent removal of a normal part of the pilot-tone spread signal. For addressing this, a power ratio between the spectrum of the pilot-tone spread signal before the removal and after the removal can be calculated. For accounting for the power loss due to the spurs removal, this power ratio can be applied to the pilot-tone spread signal after the removal to obtain a corrected pilot-tone spread signal.

Methods for systems are described for communicating an optical data signal. An example method may comprise receiving a data signal comprising a first level indicative of an upper end of a power range of the data signal and a second level indicative of a lower end of the power range of the data signal. The example method may comprise modulating the data signal to generate a modulated data signal. The modulated data signal may comprise the first level modulated with a first beacon tone and the second level modulated with a second beacon tone. The second level may be modulated in phase with the first level. The method may comprise transmitting an optical signal comprising the modulated data signal.