After setting the standing 100Tb/s world record for the transmission capacity of a single-mode optical fiber deployed in current networks, we are now leading a forward-looking investigation of the transmission-capacity potential of multidimensional optical processing and coded modulation in space division multiplexed (SDM) optical transmission systems, wherein different spatial modes in a single fiber can be used as parallel data channels to increase aggregate transmission capacity.

By employing all available degrees of freedom in an SDM system using few mode fiber (FMF), our novel multidimensional processing and coded modulation designs span a multidimensional signal space, featuring in-phase, quadrature, spatial mode and dual polarization coordinates, notably outperforming conventional approaches. We are also investigating advanced SDM optical components, including amplifiers, switches and filters, for efficient parallelized multidimensional signal transmission.