Photonic crystal fibers in wavelength division multiplexing application

We report on the application of photonic crystal fiber interconnects in a long haul DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) system, showing that there is no negative consequence on transmission for either a single signal at different Sonet rates or at a combined 0.5 Terabits with 43 wavelengths. Using a LMA (Large Mode Area) photonic crystal patch cord at the end of a 720 km (21 dB span loss) Ultra Long Haul DWDM transmission ready system we were able to detect neither signal distortion nor non-linear changes, and power loss was within normal range.;The endlessly single mode property of Photonic Crystal Fibers (PCF) is attractive for long haul communications systems due to the potentially large mode size of the fiber, reducing the effects of non-linear interactions on the transmitted signal. At present relatively short samples of PCF fibers are available but eventually longer fibers should become available. An initial exploration on the use of PCF in telecommunications used 5m sample fiber from Crystal Fibre as short interconnects in a long haul system.;This paper shows that PCF can be used in long-haul telecommunication applications since it will handle more wavelengths (at a 1900 nm window) and can be amplified at higher power than SSMF (Standard Single Mode Fiber). Another possible application is its use as a fiber patch cord since PCF has low bending loss. In this experiment we transmit 0.5 Tbit/s over a single large mode photonic fiber using 40 wavelengths at either 10Gbit/s or 40Gbit/s from a deployment-ready DWDM transmission system. To the best of our knowledge it is the first time that these types of measurements have been done in a lab environment that replicates real network conditions.