Power-Efficient 100 Gb/s Transmission Over Transoceanic System

The capacity of optical communication systems can be continuously scaled by utilizing spatial division multiplexing (SDM) technology. However, this scaling has significant impact on the required optical and electrical power as the number of EDFAs increase. This constraint is crucial in long-haul undersea optical systems where electrical power for the entire system is fed from the landing points. Successful implementation of SDM in undersea systems will require both signal modulation and amplification technologies with high power efficiency. In this work, we use 8-D coded modulation and simple EDFA design to demonstrate 100 Gb/s transmission over 9750 km with record high power efficiency as defined by the ratio of capacity-distance product to the total amplifier output power.