Signal formats and error correction in optical transmission

Abstract

We review the advantages and drawbacks of the main optical modulation formats, comparing the standard intensity-modulated ones to more sophisticated phase and intensity modulated formats for high capacity or long distance transmission. Furthermore, different Forward Error Correction solutions, from standard Reed Solomon (RS) to block turbo codes, are presented and their impact on optical transmission system design is discussed. © 2003 Académie des sciences/Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.