PMD compensation up to second order by tracking the principle states of polarization using a two-section compensator

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of an optical polarization mode dispersion compensator comprised of two adjustable delay sections with a polarization controller in between. Not only the differential group delay of the fiber but also the rotation of the principle states of polarization within a bandwidth can be compensated by tracking the trajectory of the fiber output principle states of polarization around the carrier frequency. The theoretical analysis of the two-section compensator shows how to adjust its parameters. Based on numerical simulations applying a 10 Gbit/s NRZ transmission, we show the enlarged bandwidth of compensation in comparison to a simple first-order compensator. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.