###Intelligent space-division multiplexing for optical communication systems
Project ID: 2228bd1211 (You will need this ID for your application)
Research Theme: Information and Communication Technologies
UCL Lead department: Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE)
Lead Supervisor: Filipe Ferreira
Project Summary:
Why this research is important The relentless demand for ever-increasing bandwidth is driving conventional optical fibres to their theoretical potential of 100 petabits/s×km. Emerging space-division multiplexing (SDM) technology offers much wider conduits of information by establishing multiple spatially distinguishable data pathways (theoretically over 1000) across a single multi-core/-mode fibre, each pathway with the capacity of a conventional fibre. However, SDM has not yet found a scalable approach to exploit the additional capacity given the crosstalk between the different data pathways.
What you will be doing This PhD project aims to develop a new family of optical transceivers capable of addressing and unscrambling an increasing number of data pathways over the same optical fibre (with several hundreds of potential pathways), providing a scalable platform for several decades of capacity growth. To take full advantage of massive multi-path fibres, multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) optical transceivers will be designed to learn which groups of paths are best for each transmission request (e.g., throughput, distance). The implementation of this project will involve the development and experimental demonstration of novel spatial modulation devices to interface an increasing number of spatial pathways, exploring a combination of photonic integrated circuits and microdisplay devices. And new machine learning techniques to learn and reverse the scrambled fibre channel and maximise throughput.
Who you will be working with The student will be based in the Optical Networks group and the work will be integrated in the UKRI FLF project “Beyond Exabit Optical Communications” (www.ucl.ac.uk/iccs/exabit). The student will have the opportunity to undertake internships with industrial and research partners in the FLF project.
Who we are looking for The student should have, or expect to achieve, a degree (1st or 2:1) in Physics, Electronic Engineering, or similar; and have an interest, experience, or enthusiasm for hands-on experimental and programming work.