# Phase-coherent lightwave communications with frequency combs

## TL;DR

This paper introduces two innovative signal processing schemes leveraging the phase coherence of optical frequency combs to improve phase noise estimation and compensation in fiber-optic communications, potentially simplifying systems and enhancing performance.

## Contribution

It presents novel methods that utilize broadband phase coherence of frequency combs for more efficient phase noise management in coherent optical communication systems.

## Key findings

- Enhanced phase noise estimation accuracy
- Potential for simplified signal processing
- Improved transmission performance

## Abstract

Fiber-optical networks are a crucial telecommunication infrastructure in society. Wavelength division multiplexing allows for transmitting parallel data streams over the fiber bandwidth, and coherent detection enables the use of sophisticated modulation formats and electronic compensation of signal impairments. In the future, optical frequency combs may replace multiple lasers used for the different wavelength channels. We demonstrate two novel signal processing schemes that take advantage of the broadband phase coherence of optical frequency combs. This approach allows for a more efficient estimation and compensation of optical phase noise in coherent communication systems, which can significantly simplify the signal processing or increase the transmission performance. With further advances in space division multiplexing and chip-scale frequency comb sources, these findings pave the way for compact energy-efficient optical transceivers.