4-PHOTON MIXING AND HIGH-SPEED WDM SYSTEMS

The trend toward higher bit rates in lightwave communications has incr eased interest in dispersion-shifted fiber to minimize dispersion pena lties. At the same time optical amplifiers have increased interest in wavelength multiplexing. These two methods of increasing system capaci ty, if used together, can result in severe degradation due to fiber no nlinearity. This paper discusses the impact of the principal nonlinear ity, four-photon mixing, and describes strategies that allow simultane ous use of high bit rates and WDM.