Probability of anomalously large Bit-Error-Rate in long haul optical transmission

TL;DR

This paper models optical pulse transmission through fiber with birefringent disorder and amplifier noise, estimating the probability of rare events causing large bit-error rates, revealing a long algebraic tail in the distribution.

Contribution

It introduces a linear model to estimate the probability of rare, large BER events in optical fibers with disorder and noise, highlighting the algebraic tail of the distribution.

Findings

Probability distribution has a long algebraic tail.

Rare large BER events are quantitatively estimated.

Weak disorder and noise assumptions are validated.

Abstract

We consider a linear model of optical pulse transmission through fiber with birefringent disorder in the presence of amplifier noise. Both disorder and noise are assumed to be weak, i.e. the average bit-error rate (BER) is small. The probability of rare violent events leading to the values of BER much larger than its typical value is estimated. We show that the probability distribution has a long algebraic tail.