Chromatic dispersion and polarization mode dispersion monitoring for multi-level intensity and phase modulation systems.

We demonstrate chromatic dispersion (CD) and polarization mode dispersion (PMD) monitoring techniques via simulation and experiment for 2- and 4-level intensity-modulated as well as phase-modulated optical systems. Degree of polarization (DOP) measurement for monitoring PMD up to 100-ps and clock tone measurement for monitoring CD up to 720-ps/nm are demonstrated in 10-Gsymbol/s non-return-to-zero (NRZ) and return-to-zero (RZ) systems. Analysis on dynamic range and monitoring window shows that careful consideration and characterization are necessary when applying these monitoring techniques to multi-level systems.