High Spectral Efficiency Photonics-Based Polarization Multiplexing OFDM Signal Delivery at W-Band

We have implemented a large-capacity, long-haul, and high spectral efficiency photonics-based polarization multiplexing communication system at W-band. The signal delivery up to 119.1 Gb/s with spectral efficiency of 9.9 bit/s/Hz is achieved over a 10 km optic-fiber link and 4600 m wireless link. In our study, we utilize an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme to compensate for the signal impairments caused by the dispersion effect and the wireless multipath effect. Based on a pair of antennas, the antenna polarization multiplexing technique is used to realize the polarization-multiplexed mm-wave signal delivery. Also, only one communication link is required, instead of the complex 2 × 2 line-of-sight multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) link. Instead of Cassegrain antennas, the combination of plano-convex lens and horn antenna greatly extends the wireless distance. For increasing the spectral efficiency and throughput of the communication system, we employ higher-order modulation formats, probabilistic shaping (PS) techniques, and a series of equalization algorithms. Based on photonics technology, we have created a record-setting distance-rate product of 547.9 Gb/s•km (119.1 Gb/s × 4.6 km) for an independent channel at W-band.