Optical packet transmission in 42.6 Gbit/s wavelength-division-multiplexed clockwork-routed networks

The use of amplitude-modulated phase-shift-keyed (AM-PSK) optical data transmission is investigated in a sequence of concatenated links in a wavelength-division-multiplexed clockwork-routed network. The narrower channel spacing made possible by using AM-PSK format allows the network to contain a greater number of network nodes. Full differential precoding at the packet source reduces the amount of high-speed electronics required in the network and also offers simplified header recognition and time-to-live mechanisms.