Effect of frequency chirping on the performance of optical communication systems

Abstract

The effect of frequency chirping on the performance of optical communication systems is analyzed theoretically using a simple but realistic model for the chirped pulses emitted by a directly modulated semiconductor laser. The effect of pulse-edge sharpness is investigated by considering the propagation of super-Gaussian chirped pulses in a dispersive single-mode fiber. The results are presented using the parameter values appropriate for a 1.55-μm optical communication system employing conventional silica fibers and are in qualitative agreement with the reported experimental observations.