Impact of residual dispersion and ASE noise on the performance optimization of all-optical regenerators utilizing self-phase modulation in a highly nonlinear fiber

The performance of an all-optical regenerator utilizing self-phase modulation in a highly nonlinear fiber and offset optical filtering is assessed using computer simulation. By varying the bandwidth and offset of the optical filter, the Q-factor performance of the regenerator is near-optimized for systems impaired by amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise and systems impaired by both residual dispersion (RD) and ASE noise. Generally, the near-optimum bandwidth and offset of the optical filter differs for these two types of systems. It is found that the selection of the bandwidth and offset is more stringent for systems with ASE noise only. For systems with RD and ASE noise, the selection of the filter bandwidth and offset depends on the amount of RD with quite different trends being observed. The regenerator is more effective when the RD is negative. The implication that the dispersion of the highly nonlinear fiber has on the regenerator performance is examined.