Dimitris Syvridis

Chaos-based communications at high bit rates using commercial fibre-optic links

Chaotic signals have been proposed as broadband information carriers with the potential of providing a high level of robustness and privacy in data transmission. Laboratory demonstrations of chaos-based optical communications have already shown the potential of this technology, but a field experiment using commercial optical networks has not been undertaken so far. Here we demonstrate high-speed long-distance communication based on chaos synchronization over a commercial fibre-optic channel. An optical carrier wave generated by a chaotic laser is used to encode a message for transmission over 120 km of optical fibre in the metropolitan area network of Athens, Greece. The message is decoded using an appropriate second laser which, by synchronizing with the chaotic carrier, allows for the separation of the carrier and the message. Transmission rates in the gigabit per second range are achieved, with corresponding bit-error rates below 10-7. The system uses matched pairs of semiconductor lasers as chaotic emitters and receivers, and off-the-shelf fibre-optic telecommunication components. Our results show that information can be transmitted at high bit rates using deterministic chaos in a manner that is robust to perturbations and channel disturbances unavoidable under real-world conditions.

Implementation of 140 Gb/s true random bit generator based on a chaotic photonic integrated circuit

In the present work a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) that emits broadband chaotic signals is employed for ultra-fast generation of true random bit sequences. Chaotic dynamics emerge from a DFB laser, accompanied by a monolithic integrated 1-cm long external cavity (EC) that provides controllable optical feedback. The short length minimizes the existence of external cavity modes, so flattened broadband spectra with minimized intrinsic periodicities can emerge. After sampling and quantization--without including optical de-correlation techniques and using most significant bits (MSB) elimination post-processing--truly random bit streams with bit-rates as high as 140 Gb/s can be generated. Finally, the extreme robustness of the random bit generator for adaptive bit-rate operation and for various operating conditions of the PIC is demonstrated.

Regenerative properties of a pump-modulated four-wave mixing scheme in dispersion-shifted fibers

A new scheme for all-optical signal reshaping is proposed. It is shown that proper adjustment of the operating conditions of a wavelength converter based on four-wave mixing (FWM) in dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF) results in significant extinction ratio enhancement and noise suppression of the converted signal. The key issue in the proposed idea is the application of the modulation bitstream on the input pump wave. Detailed numerical simulation shows that it is possible to achieve a wavelength-converted output with extinction ratio of 20 dB when the extinction ratio of the input signal is 10.5 dB, while at the same time, the improvement in the Q-factor is almost 6 (from 6.5 at the input, it becomes more than 12 at the output). The theoretical predictions have been experimentally confirmed by measuring the transfer function of the FWM in a 17-km-long DSF under different operating conditions. The obtained results are in a very good agreement with those predicted theoretically.

First demonstration of all-optical QPSK signal regeneration in a novel multi-format phase sensitive amplifier

We propose a novel black-box optical phase sensitive amplifier (PSA) configuration and describe its application to the regeneration of multi-level phase encoded signals. The concept is demonstrated with a 10 Gbaud quadrature phase shift keyed (QPSK) input.

Chaos-on-a-chip secures data transmission in optical fiber links.

Security in information exchange plays a central role in the deployment of modern communication systems. Besides algorithms, chaos is exploited as a real-time high-speed data encryption technique which enhances the security at the hardware level of optical networks. In this work, compact, fully controllable and stably operating monolithic photonic integrated circuits (PICs) that generate broadband chaotic optical signals are incorporated in chaos-encoded optical transmission systems. Data sequences with rates up to 2.5 Gb/s with small amplitudes are completely encrypted within these chaotic carriers. Only authorized counterparts, supplied with identical chaos generating PICs that are able to synchronize and reproduce the same carriers, can benefit from data exchange with bit-rates up to 2.5Gb/s with error rates below 10(-12). Eavesdroppers with access to the communication link experience a 0.5 probability to detect correctly each bit by direct signal detection, while eavesdroppers supplied with even slightly unmatched hardware receivers are restricted to data extraction error rates well above 10(-3).

Investigation of a 2R all-optical regenerator based on four-wave mixing in a semiconductor optical amplifier

The properties of an all-optical 2R regenerator based on four-wave mixing (FWM) in a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) are investigated. The regeneration is based on the nonlinear FWM transfer function and a study of the systems static behavior reveals the operating conditions, under which the transfer function approaches most the ideal, step-like discrimination characteristic function. A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is employed in order to overcome the SOAs speed limitations due to limited carrier dynamics. The simulations with dynamic input data by means of extinction ratio (ER) and Q-factor calculations, showed satisfactory regenerative behavior up to 40 Gb/s.

RZ-DPSK signal regeneration based on dual-pump phase-sensitive amplification in fibers

All-optical regeneration of differential phase-shift keying signals by means of a phase-sensitive amplification scheme solely based on highly efficient four-wave mixing in fibers is theoretically and numerically studied. The analytical and numerical investigation demonstrates almost ideal phase regeneration accompanied with enhanced amplitude noise suppression in the regime of pump depletion

An optical FSK-based label coding technique for the realization of the all-optical label swapping

A new approach on optical label encoding for the realization of the all-optical label swapping in transparent optical packet switched networks is proposed and tested via simulation. The proposed method is based on the combination of the optical frequency shift keying (OFSK) modulated label with the on-off keying (OOK) modulated payload on the same optical carrier. The combination has been achieved by feeding the two independent optical signals, carrying the OFSK modulated label, and the OOK modulated payload, at the input of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). The obtained four wave mixing at the output of the SOA combines label and payload on one carrier. The simulations have been carried out for 625-Mb/s labels and 10-Gb/s payload and for three 80-km span hops. At each hop the label was removed and a new locally generated label was loaded on the payload. The bit error rate calculations were made for both label and payload at each node, which proved the feasibility of the proposed method.

Dual-wavelength mode-locked quantum-dot laser, via ground and excited state transitions: Experimental and theoretical investigation

We report a dual-wavelength passive mode locking regime where picosecond pulses are generated from both ground (lambda = 1263 nm) and excited state transitions (lambda = 1180 nm), in a GaAs-based monolithic two-section quantum-dot laser. Moreover, these results are reproduced by numerical simulations which provide a better insight on the dual-wavelength mode-locked operation.

Feedback Phase in Optically Generated Chaos: A Secret Key for Cryptographic Applications

The feedback phase in a chaotic system consisting of a semiconductor laser subject to delayed optical feedback is considered for the first time as a secret key for secure chaotic communications not exclusively based on hardware uniqueness. Extensive numerical simulations illustrate that the feedback phase is of extreme importance as far as synchronization is concerned. The ability of an eavesdropper to attack the intensity-modulated message when a pseudorandom variation of the feedback phase is imposed at the transmitters side is numerically quantified by bit-error-rate calculations. The analysis demonstrates that the eavesdropper is not able to synchronize and hence to extract the message when he is not aware of the phase variations even if he is equipped with an identical chaotic device.