We propose wavelength-coded multiplexing based on optical spectral encoding and bipolar codes as an alternative to standard wavelength division multiplexing in a multi-channel long-haul fiber transmission system. The effects of four wave mixing on the performance of a wavelength-coded system can be canceled to first order by using antisymmetric spectral code patterns for encoding and decoding. Our calculations of error probability for links with 100 channels and 100 km of dispersion-shifted fiber show that the performance of a wavelength-coded system significantly exceeds that of a wavelength division system. Thus, for a given performance level, wavelength-coded systems will allow longer link lengths with their economic advantages.

This work was sponsored by the Texas Advanced Technology Program