Abstract

New ways in optimization of existing telecommunication systems based on dispersion management technology attracted recently wide research interest from soliton-based groups. The main idea was to combine a high local group-velocity dispersion with low path-average dispersion. The former feature results in the reduction of the four- wave mixing while the latter one reduces the Gordon-Haus timing jitter effect. Due to their characteristics, dispersion-managed solitons offer tremendous advantages that make them a preferred option for upgrading the embedded fiber plant and for use in new ultrahigh-speed multiplexed systems operating at 40-Gbit/s per channel. One of the most remarkable features of dispersion-managed solitons is that they can exist even where the net dispersion is zero or normal. This result opens the prospect of wavelength-division multiplexed soliton systems with wavelengths near zero dispersion.

© 2005 Optical Society of America