Outage probability due to intercore crosstalk from multiple cores in short-reach networks

Abstract

The outage probability (OP) due to intercore crosstalk (ICXT) arising from multiple interfering cores in short-reach binary intensity modulation-direct detection optical links supported by homogeneous weakly-coupled multicore fibers is assessed through numerical simulation. The maximum acceptable ICXT level for a given OP is extracted from simulation results, for low and high skew-bit rate products (SBRPs). (i) For high SBRP, a 3 dB reduction of the maximum acceptable ICXT level per core for a given OP is observed when the number of interfering cores doubles. In this case, as a very large number ( ≫1 ) of bits of each interfering core is contributing to ICXT, the total detected ICXT tends to a Gaussian distribution that makes the maximum acceptable total ICXT level independent of the interfering core count. (ii) For low SBRP, the number of bits contributing to ICXT is similar to the interfering core count and the total detected ICXT assumes a set of discrete amplitudes, which deviates it from the Gaussian distribution. Hence, the reduction of the maximum acceptable ICXT level per core, when the number of interfering cores is doubled, is about 2 dB, and the maximum acceptable total ICXT level increases with the interfering core count, by around 3 dB, when the interfering core count increases from 1 to 8.