Giovanni Milione NEC Labs AmericaGiovanni Milione is a Senior Researcher and Business Incubation Lead in the Optical Networking & Sensing Department at NEC Laboratories America, Inc. (NECLA), where he drives the development of groundbreaking optical technologies that span communications, sensing, and computing. With a focus on translating cutting-edge research into commercial and societal impact, Dr. Milione bridges the gap between scientific innovation and business viability. At NECLA, his work includes pioneering research in space division multiplexing over optical fibers and free space, the application of machine learning to distributed acoustic sensing, and analog optical computing. His ability to lead both technical development and business incubation makes him a key contributor to the future of photonic and AI-enabled systems.

Dr. Milione earned his B.S. degree in Physics from Stony Brook University, his M.A. degree in Physics from CUNY (The City College of New York), and M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees from CUNY The City College of New York/Graduate Center, where he was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. He has authored over 100 publications and patents, with his work cited approximately 5,000 times. His research spans fundamental physics to applied technologies, including innovative approaches involving optical polarization, structured light, and optical communication and sensing systems. Among his notable contributions are advancements in real-time biometric authentication using photo-acoustic tomography, new techniques in high-speed and long-distance free-space and optical fiber communication using optical orbital angular momentum and multimode and multi-core optical fibers. His work in applying deep learning to distributed optical fiber sensing is pushing the boundaries for physical security.

In recognition of his achievements, Dr. Milione was selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering‘s prestigious U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium—an honor reserved for the nation’s top early-career engineers. Additionally, he was named Top 40 Under Forty by his undergraduate alma mater, Stony Brook University. He is also a U.S. Army veteran, having served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and brings the same discipline and mission-driven mindset to his scientific and entrepreneurial endeavors. At NEC Labs America, Dr. Milione continues to lead projects that shape the future of optical and AI-enabled technologies, while fostering collaborations that turn laboratory breakthroughs into transformative real-world solutions.

 

Posts

Optical Flow Processing for Chirp-Pulse Coherent OTDR

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We propose a novel optical flow processing technique for distributed temperature and strain sensing with the chirped-pulse coherent OTDR. Unlike conventional 1-dimensional cross-correlation methods, the technique treats the 2-dimensional waterfall data as sequential video frames, estimating local shifts through optical flow. The weighted least square approach with adaptive window size enables pixel-level optical flow calculation, providing accurate local shifts via accumulative tracks with enhanced spatial resolution. Preliminary experimental results over 20km fiber demonstrate its effectiveness for dynamic temperature and strain sensing, addressing limitations of traditional methods and improving sensing capabilities.

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Underwater Acoustic OFDM Transmission over Optical Fiber with Distributed Acoustic Sensing

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We demonstrate fiber-optic acoustic data transmission using distributed acoustic sensing technology in an underwater environment. An acoustic orthogonal frequencydivisionmultiplexing (OFDM) signal transmitted through a fiber-optic cable deployed in a standard 40-meter-scale underwater testbed.

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1.2 Tb/s/l Real Time Mode Division Multiplexing Free Space Optical Communication with Commercial 400G Open and Disaggregated Transponders

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We experimentally demonstrate real time mode division multiplexing free space optical communication with commercial 400G open and disaggregated transponders. As proof of concept,using HG00, HG10, and HG01 modes, we transmit 1.2 Tb/s/l (3´1l´400Gb/s) error free.

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NEC Labs America Attends OFC 2025 in San Francisco

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The NEC Labs America Optical Networking and Sensing team is attending the 2025 Optical Fiber Communications Conference and Exhibition (OFC), the premier global event for optical networking and communications. Bringing together over 13,500 attendees from 83+ countries, more than 670 exhibitors, and hundreds of sessions featuring industry leaders, OFC 2025 serves as the central hub for innovation and collaboration in the field. At this year’s conference, NEC Labs America will showcase its cutting-edge research and advancements through multiple presentations, demonstrations, and workshops.

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Free-Space Optical Sensing Using Vector Beam Spectra

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Vector beams are spatial modes that have spatially inhomogeneous states of polarization. Any light beam is a linear combination of vector beams, the coefficients of which comprise a vector beam “spectrum.” In this work, through numerical calculations, a novel method of free-space optical sensing is demonstrated using vector beam spectra, which are shown to be experimentally measurable via Stokes polarimetry. As proof of concept, vector beam spectra are numerically calculated for various beams and beam obstructions.

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400-Gb/s mode division multiplexing-based bidirectional free space optical communication in real-time with commercial transponders

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In this work, for the first time, we experimentally demonstrate mode division multiplexing-based bidirectional free space optical communication in real-time using commercial transponders. As proof of concept, via bidirectional pairs of Hermite-Gaussian modes (HG00, HG10, and HG01), using a Telecom Infra Project Phoenix compliant commercial 400G transponder, 400-Gb/s data signals (56-Gbaud, DP-16QAM) are bidirectionally transmitted error free, i.e., with less than 1e-2 pre-FEC BERs, over approximately 1-m of free space

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Optical orbital angular momentum analogy to the Stern-Gerlach experiment

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Symmetry breaking has been shown to reveal interesting phenomena in physical systems. A notable example is the fundamental work of Otto Stern and Walther Gerlach [Stern and Zerlach, Z. Physik 9, 349 (1922)] nearly 100 years ago demonstrating a spin angular momentum (SAM) deflection that differed from classical theory. Here we use non-separable states of SAM and orbital angular momentum (OAM), known as vector vortex modes, to demonstrate how a classical optics analogy can be used to reveal this nonseparability, reminiscent of the work carried out by Sternand Gerlach. We show that by implementing a polarization insensitive device to measure the OAM, the SAM states can be deflected to spatially resolved positions.

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Accelerating Distributed Machine Learning with an Efficient AllReduce Routing Strategy

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We propose an efficient routing strategy for AllReduce transfers, which compromise of the dominant traffic in machine learning-centric datacenters, to achieve fast parameter synchronization in distributed machine learning, improving the average training time by 9%.

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Distributed Fiber-Optic Sensor as an Acoustic Communication Receiver Array

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A novel acoustic transmission technique using distributed acoustic sensors is introduced. By choosing better incident angles for smaller fading and employing an 8- channel beamformer, over 10KB data is transmitted at a 6.4kbps data rate.

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OFDM Signal Transmission Using Distributed Fiber-Optic Acoustic Sensing

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Acoustic data transmission with the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signal has been demonstrated using a Distributed Acoustic Sensor (DAS) based on Phase-sensitive Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry (?-OTDR).

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