Modeling and design of WDM optical buffers in asynchronous and variable-length optical packet switches

This paper aims to analyze the influence of wavelength conversion on the design of optical fiber delay line (FDL) buffers in a wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) packet switch. We focus on the network scenario that variable-length packets arrive at the optical switch asynchronously. Through a detailed analysis of the behaviors of packets in the WDM FDL buffer, an approximate analytical traffic model is established. And the theoretical model is proved to be reasonable by simulations. Based on the model, it is clear that, under the same traffic load per wavelength channel, the utilization of tunable wavelength converters (TWCs) to resolve the output contention significantly reduces the number of fiber delay lines (FDLs) in optical buffers, and to achieve a given packet loss probability under a certain number of FDLs, the required number of tunable wavelengths can be predicted. The model can also estimate the optimal value of the basic time unit of the FDLs, and examine the influence of WDM on the optimal value. Finally, the impact of wavelength conversion on the optical switch size is analyzed. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that modeling on this problem is presented.     

Designing an all-optical packet filtering module for WDM broadcast-and-select star networks

An all-optical packet filtering module for WDM broadcast-and-select star networks is introduced. At each time instant, only one packet per wavelength is allowed to pass to the star coupler. Therefore, collisions are avoided and the network performance is improved. The proposed module is based on the use of optical logic circuits for controlling the passing of the transmitted packets to the star coupler, without the need of optical to electronic translation or electronic processing of the network feedback information. In this way, the processing time is drastically reduced, while the need for slowly tunable optical filters is eliminated. Furthermore, due to the all-optical nature of the network hub, the reliability of the system is improved.     

Design and Performance Evaluation of Optical Ethernet Switching Architecture with Liquid Crystal on Silicon-Based Beam-Steering Technology

A non-blocking optical Ethernet switching architecture with liquid crystal on a silicon-based beam-steering switch and optical output buffer strategies are proposed. For preserving service packet sequencing and fairness of routing sequence, priority and round-robin algorithms are adopted at the optical output buffer in this research. Four methods were used to implement tunable fiber delay modules for the optical output buffers to handle Ethernet packets with variable bit-rates. The results reported are based on the simulations performed to evaluate the proposed switching architecture with traffic analysis under a traffic model captured from a real-core network.     

Wavelength division multiplexed loop buffer memory based optical packet switch

Photonic all-optical switching is widely considered as one of the technique to utilize the enormous optical bandwidth. Optical packet switching provides high speed, data rate transparency, data format transparency, efficient use of bandwidth and flexibility. To resolve the conflict during contention, packets are needed to be buffered. Due to the lack of optical RAM, fiber delay lines (FDLs) are the most suited option to buffer the packets. This paper proposes new optical packet switch architecture alongwith feedback shared buffer utilizing the advantage of WDM loop buffer memory. The loop buffer module used in this switch architecture is a new approach towards WDM buffering of packets. The mathematical modeling is done to validate the results obtained from simulation.     

Experimental demonstration of tunable multiple optical orthogonal codes sequences-based optical label for optical packets switching

In this paper, the tunable multiple optical orthogonal codes sequences (MOOCS)-based optical label for optical packet switching (OPS) (MOOCS-OPS) is experimentally demonstrated for the first time. The tunable MOOCS-based optical label is performed by using fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-based optical en/decoders group and optical switches configured by using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and the optical label is erased by using Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA). Some waveforms of the MOOCS-based optical label, optical packet including the MOOCS-based optical label and the payloads are obtained, the switching control mechanism and the switching matrix are discussed, the bit error rate (BER) performance of this system is also studied. These experimental results show that the tunable MOOCS-OPS scheme is effective.     

Combining circuit and packet switching using a large port-count optical cross-connect for data center networks

The exponential increase in the data center network traffic has posed new challenges for achieving high throughput, low latency and energy consumption. To address these challenges, this paper presents a novel scheme that combines optical circuit and packet switching technologies together in a single optical cross-connect for data center networks. By utilizing fast tunable linecards and parallel array waveguide grating routers, the optical cross-connect can offer low latency, large scalability and high throughput in datacenter networks. A scheduling technique is designed to simultaneously accommodate circuit switching and packet switching in the optical cross-connect. The physical performance of this optical cross-connect in circuit and packet switching modes is investigated by experiments. In addition, the network performance of the optical cross-connect is evaluated through simulations under a mixed circuit/packet-switched traffic pattern. Results show that the network performance of the optical cross-connect does not degrade significantly with an increase in the number of racks, but it is affected by the circuit-switched traffic proportion.     

AWG and EDFA based optical packet switch using feedback shared loop buffer memory

Optical packet switching provides high speed, data rate/format transparency, efficient use of bandwidth and flexibility. The major problem in the implementation of “all-optical” switching is contention which occurs when two or more packets arrive at the same time for the same destination. To resolve the contention, we have proposed an optical packet switch architecture based on WDM loop buffer memory in the feedback configuration. In that architecture, the contending packets are stored in a loop buffer module, and routed in the free time slots. The buffering duration in the recirculating loop is limited by a circulation limit. The analysis was been done to obtain the maximum number of allowed circulations. This paper proposes improved version of that optical packet switch architecture, to increase the number of maximum allowed circulations. The modification is done either by adding an extra erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) in the original switch or by replacing the core space switch with arrayed waveguide grating (AWG). The performance analysis has been done by the simulations.     

Rapidly tunable all-optical wavelength converter based on single semiconductor optical amplifier delay interferometer

We demonstrate a rapidly tunable 10 Gb/s all-optical wavelength converter based on a semiconductor optical amplifier delay interferometer and a tunable laser. It uses a 16-channel 100 GHz-spacing digitally tunable multifrequency laser based on a novel external-cavity laser design. The bit sequence on the incoming wavelength is converted alternatively to different wavelengths. Power penalties are 1.1 dB for 30 ns guard-time spacing between wavelength packets.     

Optical Packet Routing Performance of an Optical Packet Switch Digital/ Analog-Conversion-Type With an Optical Header Processor (Wavelength Label Switch)

We demonstrate the routing operation of optical packets by an optical packet switch consisting of an optical digital-to-analog conversion-type header processor, a wavelength converter using an electrically-tunable laser, and an arrayed-waveguide grating router. A packet transfer by two -bit optical header was achieved for the first time.     

O-RPR网络中622 Mbps光上路源的研制

基于全光缓存器的光弹性分组交换环(O-RPR)是一种全光分组交换网络,能够克服目前RPR存在的电子瓶颈。为了模拟这种网络解决竞争的能力和解决网络的帧同步不丢失的问题,设计了一种基于FPGA的光上路源。它由数据包(帧)生成、并串变换和电光转换三部分组成,其包长、包内伪随机序列长度、及通信速率均可变,具有结构简单、成本低廉和操作方便的优点,已成功应用于O-RPR实验网络中。     

All-optical 40 Gbits/s packet regeneration by means of cross-gain compression in a semiconductor optical amplifier

We experimentally demonstrate all-optical reshaping of 40 Gbits/s packets by using cross-gain compression in a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). This scheme, which is based on cross-saturation effects between two conjugate signals copropagating in a single SOA, is wavelength preserving and polarization independent and does not suffer from any transient effect at packet edges. We report evidence of noise redistribution and packet reshaping by means of the bit-error rate versus threshold measurements for different input optical signal-to-noise ratios.     

水下无线光通信自组织网性能分析

针对无线光通信工作频率高、通信频带宽、数据传输能力强、传输距离远的特点,提出建立水下无线光通信自组织网。为解决水下无线光通信点对多点通信的问题,提出了一种组合折反射镜,为建立移动自组织网（MobileAdhocNetwork,MANET）提供条件。研究利用OPNET对按需距离向量协议（AODV）进行仿真,通过设置移动节点参数模拟水下无线光通信自组织网,分析了不同网络规模、不同节点速度、不同发包率对网络的吞吐量、时延、误比特率等性能的影响。仿真结果表明,AODV在节点速度5m／s--10m／s以下,网络规模10个节点左右,发包率小于20packets／s时对网络拓扑变化的适应性较好。     

All-optical queue buffer using optical threshold functions and wavelength converters

A modular,cascadable,and self-controlled optical queue buffer is proposed,which can solve the packet contention at a 2×1 optical node.Controlled by incoming optical packets,the buffer can realize firstin-first-out queue buffering without the necessity of external control signals.By using optical threshold functions and wavelength converters based on semiconductor optical amplifier,the push and pop operations of packets on queue can both be achieved.In addition,preliminary experiment is carried out.     

基于双半导体光放大器的读/写分别控制的新型全光缓存器

全光缓存器能够在光域内对数据包进行缓存,解决数据包在节点的冲突。提出了一种新型可擦写的全光缓存器,该缓存器以半导体光放大器(SOA)为非线性相移器件,利用信号光和控制光在半导体光放大器中的交叉相位调制实现信号在光域内的"写入"和"读出"。在注入信号峰值功率相同的条件下,双半导体光放大器结构的采用还可以对信号光实现功率补偿,比利用单个半导体光放大器进行"写入/读出"控制延长了缓存时间,并能有效克服在数据包"写入"缓存器时造成的输出端口处信号光的泄漏。该缓存器顺利实现了2.5 Gb/s数据包的多圈缓存。     

Optically controlled loop buffer using a SOA loop mirror and a circulator based reflector

In this paper, an optically controlled loop buffer is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. It utilizes a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) based loop mirror as a fast switch to realize the writing and reading of packets within this buffer and a circulator based optical reflector to achieve internal re-circulations. By adding fibers with different lengths between the loop mirror and the circulator, variable delay time per circulations can be obtained. We also demonstrate the performance of the 2.5 and 10 Gb/s data packets in this buffer structure, as well as the influence of the two different control signal formats on the packet signal degradation during buffering. This loop buffer has the merits of low cost and improved performance compared to other similar loop buffer structures. According to the obtained results, the achieved number of circulations is greatly increased.     

Fast Tunable Wavelength Sources Based on the Laser Diode Array

We report a demonstration of a fast wavelength tunable source (TWS) based on the laser diode array coupled to the arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) multiplexer. The switching and optical characteristics of TWS make it a candidate for implementing the wavelength-division space switch fabric for an optical packet/burst switching.     

Performance analysis of a novel architecture for contention resolution of OPS

Optical packet switching (OPS) technology can rapidly deliver the enormous network bandwidth and offer high-speed data rate and format transparency. In this paper we propose a novel architecture using all-optical tunable wavelength converters (TWCs) and fiber delay-lines (FDLs) to address the contention problem for OPS in wavelength and time domains. This architecture improves packet switching speed but significantly decreases the number of optical switches comparing with existing architectures. A simulation is also conducted to evaluate the performance of the architecture. The simulation results show that the packet loss probability of this architecture is lower than general architectures.     

Mesoscopic quantum coherence in an optical lattice

We observe the quantum coherent dynamics of atomic spinor wave packets in the double-well potentials of a far-off-resonance optical lattice. With appropriate initial conditions the system Rabi oscillates between the left and right localized states of the ground doublet, and at certain times the wave packet corresponds to a coherent superposition of these mesoscopically distinct quantum states. The atom/optical double-well potential is a flexible and powerful system for further study of quantum coherence, quantum control, and the quantum/classical transition.     

Improved optical packet switching structure with recirculation buffer and feedback tunable wavelength converter

The performance of an optical switching network is mainly determined by its core node structure. An improved optical packet switching （OPS） node structure based on recirculation optical fiber delay line （FDL） and feedback tunable wavelength converter （TWC）, and a specific scheduling algorithm for the node structure are presented. This switching structure supports both point-to-point and point-to-multi- points broadcasting transmission with superior capacity expansion performance. Its superiority in packet loss probability is proved by simulation.     

一种反馈FDL结构竞争解决丢包率的研究

对反馈FDL结构的光分组交换竞争解决方案建立了数学模型并进行了理论分析，推导出了在反馈FDL输入分组比输入光纤输入分组具有更高输出优先级时的系统丢包率公式，对系统丢包率与负载、输入光纤端口数和FDL数目的关系进行了数值计算和讨论.结果表明：由于FDL缓存分组的概率与输入分组负载的非线性关系导致了反馈FDL结构在低负载时对丢包率的改善非常明显，对高负载的改善却十分有限.随着FDL数目的增加，对系统丢包率的改善不会趋于一个极限值，这是与使用波长转换器进行竞争解决的不同之处，因此使用反馈FDL结构可以降低波长转换器的丢包率极限.