Feasibility study of 0.8-b/s/Hz spectral efficiency at 160 Gb/s using phase-correlated RZ signals with vestigial sideband filtering

We study the feasibility of achieving 0.8-b/s/Hz spectral efficiency at 160 Gb/s. We generate phase-correlated return-to-zero (RZ) signals by utilizing the Kerr shutter effect in a highly nonlinear fiber. The 160-Gb/s RZ signal is then filtered with a 200-GHz bandwidth filter. Error-free operation is obtained by properly shifting the central wavelength of the filter. We also investigate the filtering performance of phase-uncorrelated signals generated by conventional optical time-division multiplexing means.