Effect of polarization-dependent loss on polarization-shift-keying transmission system

We report on the effect of the polarization-dependent loss (PDL) on the polarization-shift-keying (PolSK) transmission system. In a PolSK system, the PDL of the fiber-optic link could generate an inband crosstalk and degrade the signal’s extinction ratio. The result shows that a 3-dB PDL could result in the 1-dB power penalty. However, unlike the effect of PMD, it is not dependent on the transmission speed.