100 Tbit/s free-space data link enabled by three-dimensional multiplexing of orbital angular momentum, polarization, and wavelength

Abstract

We investigate the orthogonality of orbital angular momentum (OAM) with other multiplexing domains and present a free-space data link that uniquely combines OAM-, polarization-, and wavelength-division multiplexing. Specifically, we demonstrate the multiplexing/demultiplexing of 1008 data channels carried on 12 OAM beams, 2 polarizations, and 42 wavelengths. Each channel is encoded with 100 Gbit/s quadrature phase-shift keying data, providing an aggregate capacity of 100.8 Tbit/s (12×2×42×100 Gbit/s).