Ternary amplitude optical packets generated by parametric amplification

We propose a new all-optical labelling technique that uses parametric amplification to generate optical packets. This approach considers that an on-off keyed payload is inserted in a parametric amplifier, where the pump is modulated by label information. The parametric interaction between these signals induces power variations in the payload which, under certain conditions, becomes a ternary amplitude optical packet (TAOP). Computer simulations are used to test our proposal and to evaluate packet propagation. Our numerical results indicate that 11.25 Gb/s TAOPs can be successfully transmitted through metropolitan area network scale before a 1-dB penalty is achieved.