Optical Networks

Novel applications, such as video streaming and computer grids, demand a large amount of bandwidth. To satisfy the requirements of these applications, optical networks have been developed and wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) has been considered as a major optical technology because of its high capacity to transport data.

 

 

To date, most WDM networks are composed of electronic switches equipped with optical interfaces, referred as OEO (optical interface - electronic switching - optical interface). These switches limit the data transport rate of WDM networks because the optical signal that arrives to an OEO switch is converted to an electronic signal. Although optical transmissions can reach the magnitude of terabits per second, currently, electronic switches do not achieve more than a few tens of gigabits per second. Therefore, all-optical data transport techniques, including optical switching, are required to efficiently use the bandwidth available in WDM networks. There are several proposals of all-optical data transport techniques. In this theme, we are focusing on the different aspects of these techniques, such as quality-of-service support and survivability.

Research Topics

   
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