Coherence multiplexing for optical communication systems

Overcapacity in core networks and increasing demands of end users have led to a shift of focus in optical communication research in the last few years. There is more interest now in relatively short-range networks such as subscriber networks, LANs, and optical interconnects. An essential criterion is low costs per user which can, for example, be achieved by multiplexing information signals of different users in a common fiber. Coherence multiplexing (CM) is an interesting optical code division multiplexing technique, particularly from a cost point of view. It uses relatively simple optical sources like LEDs or SLEDs, and simple planar optical circuits consisting of Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs).