Analysis of the Impact of Polarization Mode Dispersion and Phase Noise on the Bit Error Rate Performance of QAM Systems

This article extensively examines how polarization mode dispersion (PMD) and phase noise affect the bit error rate (BER) of different quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) systems. PMD and phase noise can degrade transmitted signals and increase error rates in fiber-optic communication systems. This paper focuses on 4-QAM, 16-QAM, and 64QAM, widely used in high-speed optical transmission systems. This project aims to quantify PMD and phase noise effects in optical communication systems. Simulation and theoretical analysis were carried out to investigate the effects of PMD and phase noise and evaluate their impact on BER performance. Signal power, PMD values, and fiber lengths are considered here. The findings show how PMD and phase noise affect QAM system performance, emphasizing the delicate balance between system capacity and impaired flexibility. The BER of higher-order QAM modulations, such as 64-QAM, is much higher than 4QAM due to higher phase noise. Additionally, it promises to help build stable high-speed optical networks.