Analysis and design of wavelength-division multiplexed dispersion-managed soliton transmission systems

Solitons in dispersion-managed (DM) fibers are promising candidates for a modulation format to be used in long-distance high-speed optical fiber data transmission. In this paper we perform a bit-error-rate analysis of a wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) DM soliton system operated at 40 Gbit/s per channel. We consider the intra-channel pulse-to-pulse interaction, the noise-induced timing jitter, the collision-induced time shifts, and the signal-ASE (amplified spontaneous emission) and ASE-ASE beat noise as the factors limiting the system performance. Effects of filters in reducing the collision-induced timing jitter in WDM transmission an also examined. It is shown that the minimum channel spacing required for long-distance transmission can be reduced by the use of in-line filters especially when the noise amplification due to the filter excess gain is suppressed.