PoliCom Lab research is focused in exceeding the transmission limits of very-high capacity modern optical communication systems: from the long-haul transport network to the metro-regional and access networks, to datacom links and to the backplane. PoliCom group carries on the long tradition on optical communication research started in 1995 by CoreCom activities. PoliCom inherited CoreCom enormous theoretical and experimental skills and is exploiting the experience in short/medium term research committed by important industrial partners, such as Pirelli Cables and Systems, Alcatel-Lucent and Prysmian Group. PoliCom Lab is equipped with state-of-art instruments and equipments (e.g. arbitrary waveform generators, real-time oscilloscopes, BER testers, transmission link test beds) for very high-speed system experimentation. The system behavior is also modeled by means of dedicated software tools.
Main relevant research area:
- Access networks and PONs: cost-effective and colorless solutions for PON applications based on the exploitation of RSOAs at the ONU side; multicarrier solutions (OFDM and FDM based) compliant to NG-PON2 standard; RSOA-based architectures for WDM-PON; innovative solutions for LTE and 5G fronthaul applications.
- Mode-division multiplexing networks: novel multiplexing/routing layer based on optical modes; passive and all-optical modes multiplexer/demultiplexer development for LP and OAM modes; low-complexity MIMO solutions for few-mode fiber links.
- Very-high throughput short/medium reach transmission: innovative solutions for multi-Tb transmission; exploitation of the capabilities of novel components and devices (such as VCSELs, RSOAs, plasmonic modulators) to achieve energy-efficient performance; exploitation of multicarrier modulation formats.
- Backplane-based interconnections: fiber-based optical backplane development; full-mesh interconnection solutions; optical backplane transparency.