| Since the publication of the first edition of this book in 1992, the state of the art of fiber-optic communication systems has advanced dramatically despite the relatively short period of only 10 years between the first and third editions. For example, the highest capacity of commercial fiber-optic links available in 1992 was only 2.5 Gb/s. A mere 4 years later, the wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) systems with the total capacity of 40 Gb/s became available commercially. By 2001, the capacity of commercial WDM systems exceeded 1.6 Tb/s, and the prospect of lightwave systems operating at 3.2 Tb/s or more were in sight. During the last 2 years, the capacity of transoceanic lightwave systems installed worldwide has exploded. Moreover, several other undersea networks were in the construction phase in December 2001. A global network covering 250,000 km with a capacity of 2.56 Tb/s (64 WDM channels at 10 Gb/s over 4 fiber pairs) is scheduled to be operational in 2002. Several conference papers presented in 2001 have demonstrated that lightwave systems operating at a bit rate of more than 10 Tb/s are within reach. Just a few years ago it was unimaginable that lightwave systems would approach the capacity of even 1 Tb/s by 2001.
The second edition of this book appeared in 1997. It has been well received by the scientific community involved with lightwave technology. Because of the rapid advances that have occurred over the last 5 years, the publisher and I deemed it necessary to bring out the third edition if the book were to continue to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date account of fiber-optic communication systems. The result is in your hands. The primary objective of the book remains the same. Specifically, it should be able to serve both as a textbook and a reference monograph. For this reason, the emphasis is on the physical understanding, but the engineering aspects are also discussed throughout the text.
A communication system transmits information from one place to another, whether separated by a few kilometers or by transoceanic distances. Information is often carried by an electromagnetic carrier wave whose frequency can vary from a few megahertz to several hundred terahertz. Optical communication systems use high carrier frequencies (∼100 THz) in the visible or near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. They are sometimes called lightwave systems to distinguish them from microwave systems, whose carrier frequency is typically smaller by five orders of magnitude (∼1 GHz). Fiber-optic communication systems are lightwave systems that employ optical fibers for information transmission. Such systems have been deployed worldwide since 1980 and have indeed revolutionized the technology behind telecommunications. Indeed, the lightwave technology, together with microelectronics, is believed to be a major factor in the advent of the “information age.” The objective of this book is to describe fiber-optic communication systems in a comprehensive manner. The emphasis is on the fundamental aspects, but the engineering issues are also discussed. |