Design considerations for transmission systems in optical metropolitan networks

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) has become a key technology in optical long-haul communications and wide area networks. Recently, interest in introducing WDM into metropolitan networks has increased. We look at some issues pertinent to the design of WDM transmission systems deploying optical add/drop multiplexers in these networks. In particular, we investigate the interaction of node-induced crosstalk with fiber nonlinearities in metropolitan ring networks. Two transmission systems are considered; namely a system of nonzero dispersion shifted fiber operating in the anomalous dispersion regime and another one of single mode fiber with post dispersion compensation. Data rate is assumed to be 10 Gb/s per wavelength. The dependence of the crosstalk/nonlinearity interaction and its system penalty on the frequency difference between signal and crosstalk carriers, input signal power, extinction ratio, number of nodes, and phyisical span of the network is examined in detail. It is shown that node-induced crosstalk can interact with fiber nonlinearities and introduce limitations on transmission performance. This interaction should therefore be taken into consideration in designing regional metropolitan networks. (C) 2000 Academic Press.