Performance Fluctuations in Submarine WDM Systems

Polarization-related effects are the major source of performance fluctuations in long-haul systems. Understanding the system implications of polarization-dependent loss, polarization mode dispersion, linear and nonlinear channel crosstalk, polarization-dependent gain, and polarization hole burning is important for a successful system design and operation. In this paper, the polarization and nonlinearity-driven performance fluctuations in 10-Gb/s wavelength-division multiplexing submarine transmission systems, including repeatered and unrepeatered systems, are analyzed. The proposed phenomenological model of performance fluctuations shows good agreement with data accumulated over a long period on deployed repeatered systems. Furthermore, the case of 40-Gb/s transmission is briefly discussed