26th Conference Radioelektronika 2016, April 19-20, Kosice, Slovak Republic

Stimulated Brillouin Scattering in DWDM All Optical Communication Systems

Jan Ruzbarsky, Jan Turan, Lubos Ovsenik
The Technical University of Kosice
The Department of Electronics and Multimedia Telecommunications
Vysokoskolska 4, 041 20 Kosice Slovakia
jan.ruzbarsky@tuke.sk, jan.turan@tuke.sk, lubos.ovsenik@tuke.sk
ABSTRACT
This work on the introduction deals with phenomena affecting
the signal transmission in optical fibers. The core of the work
is focused on nonlinear phenomenon SBS, one of the dominant nonlinear effects in optical communication systems. The
main idea is impact of SBS at fully WDM optical communication systems. Therefore, it will also debated WDM technology, namely DWDM. The work will also be solution suppressing of the effects SBS on communication systems. And
as well as the impact of optical fiber on the SBS threshold.
Design and simulation will be executed in the programming
environment Optsim.
Index Terms Nonlinear effects, optical fiber, stimulated Brillouin scattering, wavelength division multiplexing.
1. INTRODUCTION
With the coming of optical fibers arrived also new opportunities within transmission systems for short as well as long
distances. In addition to the many benefits of new technology
as for example increased transmission capacity, higher transmission speed, greater security etc. also new challenges that
need to be solved come up. The main challenges include linear and nonlinear effects. Restrictions occasioned by linear
effects are not examined in this work. Attention is primarily
devoted to nonlinear phenomena stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) [1].
SBS is observed at lower power levels so a few mW are
sufficient to create stimulated Brillouin effect in single mode
fibers. Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is the primary
non-linearity affecting narrow linewidth fiber lasers and amplifiers and at these power levels, its management is of utmost
importance. SBS causes backward scattered light at a slightly
This work was supported by Cultural and Educational Grant Agency
(KEGA) of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the
Slovak Republic under the project no. 006TUKE-4/2014 - The Use of TUKE
PON Experimental Model in Teaching. This work is also the result of the
contract no. APVV-0025-12 - Mitigation of Stochastic Effects in HighBitrate All Optical Networks supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency.

lower frequency to grow exponentially with the input signal

power. It is often characterized in a system by a power threshold which is the power level at which the backward scattered
light reaches a certain fraction of the signal light [2, 3].
The work is focused also on introducing of current solutions of transmission systems which include dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM). For each approach
standard that include some recommends is used. Specifically,
there is the recommendation identified as - Recommendation
ITU-T G.694.1. With the increasing amount of information
there is an ambition to use a larger numb er of transmission channels, and this happens even when using DWDM
technology in optical communication networks.
2. STIMULATED BRILLOUIN SCATTERING
SBS may affect to the performance of the transmission system
in several ways. First is the SBS threshold, which limits the
maximum output of the transmission system. Maximum input
power may take a few mW. This results in up to the maximum
SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) and a transmission distance that
can be obtained without gain. Once the SBS threshold is surpassed, then the effect of the transfer of energy to the Stokes
wave, the pump signal (useful) is depleted, resulting in the
degradation of SNR and in turn results in increased bit error
rate (BER). In addition, re-directed Stokes wave can destabilize and even to destroy the transmitter signal in the case
where the optical isolator is not properly inserted into the system [4].
The current transmission systems are regularly used in optical amplifiers to compensate for losses in the fiber. Each amplifier typically comprises an optical isolator which prevents
the passage of growth and backward spread by the Stokes
wave. Despite this action, SBS between two successive amplifiers could still worsen system performance, in the case
where the signal strength is above the threshold SBS.
Another of the main dangers of SBS is associated with the
channel crosstalk in WDM systems. Crosstalk occurs only in
cases where the fiber supports dissemination channels in the
opposite direction and where the spacing between channels is

c 2016 IEEE
978-1-5090-1674-7/16/$31.00

approximately equal to the Brillouin shift (around 11 GHz).

In fact, the problem caused by crosstalk-induced SBS can be
seen in two-way transmission systems at power levels far below the threshold SBS. But this kind of crosstalk can be easily
printed with mild pitch changing channels. In WDM systems
to SBS absence if any broadcast signal, that is, if each output
channel is less than the threshold [4, 5, 6].
3. DENSE WAVELENGTH DIVISION
MULTIPLEXING
To meet the rapid increase in the demand for multiterabit/s
transmission capacities, 40 Gb/s based dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) [ITU-T G.694.1] is becoming
the next generation in large-capacity systems. Expansion of
WDM channels results in an increase in the complexity of
optical network node [7, 8].

Fig. 2. Block diagram of experimental model optical transmission path.

For transmission was selected DWDM (ITU-T G.694.1)
technology with 16 channels (TABLE I) and separation
among channels 50 GHz (0.4 nm).
TABLE I. Channel number and their carriers frequency

Fig. 1. Graph of dependencies between fiber attenuation and

wavelength for individuals bands.
The cost-difference between Coarse WDM (CWDM) and
DWDM is known to be large, favoring CWDM as the lowcost alternative. For channel counts beyond eight channels,
DWDM may be a preferred technology. DWDM is characterized by narrower channel spacing than CWDM, as defined in
[ITU-T G.671]. DWDM uses frequency grid. It is a reference
set of frequencies used to denote allowed nominal central frequencies that may be used for defining applications [9].
4. DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTAL
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
Objective of the proposal optical communication system is
achieved multichannel transmission over a distance metropolitan network. Transmission speed per channel was adjusted to
10 Gb/s, it means that total transmission speed in optical fiber
reached until 160 Gb/s. Influence of stimulated Brillouin
scattering was observed on transmission path 150 km and
measurement points were located every 50 km. Fig. 2. shows
block diagram of experimental model.

C HANEL

F REQUENCY (GH Z )

WAVELENGTH ( NM )

1.

193.100

1552.5244

2.

193.150

1552.1225

3.
..
.

193.200
..
.

1551.7208
..
.

14.

193.750

1547.3159

15.

193.800

1546.9167

16.

193.850

1546.5177

4.1. Treshold of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering

Fig. 3. shows spectra in different values of SBS gain. The
red curve represents the output spectrum at a level of gain
31011 and also at a value of 21010 , blue curve represents
the spectrum of the output with the value of 3 109 . Transmission power is fixed at 0.01 mW and amplifier power at 7
mW in experimental model. The threshold level is exceeded
at value corresponding SBS gain 3109 . In Fig. 3. are spectrum at the ends of the transmission system. Amplification on
the transmission path is involved in increase sideband noise
about 10 dB. In the fiber happen dispersion of the useful signal, it results in decrease its value on output of the fiber. After
amplification is gain approximately on the same value again,
but also the side noise. Fig. 4. shows spectra of the optical

signal before amplification for the SBS gain value of 31011

(green curve) and 3 109 (red curve). It is also possible to
see in the Fig. 4. The peak value in SBS gain 3 109 is
reduced by approximately 10 dB compared to the peak value
in SBS gain 3 1011 . Deterioration of SNR values affects to
the BER values.

Fig. 5. Comparison of spectrum for SBS gain 3 109 after

the first 50 km (brown curve), after 100 km (blue curve) and
at the end transmission path after 150 km (red curve).

Fig. 3. Comparison of spectrum at the end of communication

system for SBS gain 3 1011 (red curve) and SBS gain 3
109 (blue curve).

worse BER values. In the TABLE II. are compared BER

values for SBS gain 3 109 and 3 109 in channels 5, 8,
13 and 15. Transmission channel 8 was observed after 100
km optical fiber. Channel 15 was measured after the first
50 km. Rest channels 5 and 13 were monitored at the end
transmission path. It is very good to see nonlinear influence
of SBS. Worse BER in shorter channels is around 9 orders
and for 5 and 13 are BER values worse about 6 orders. It is
needed to note fact that optical communication systems with
BER values around -10 orders are satisfactory.
TABLE II. Comparison of BER value with SBS gain 31011
and 3 109
C HANEL
5
13

Fig. 4. Comparison of spectrum after the first 50 km, but

before amplification for SBS gain 3 1011 (green curve) and
SBS gain 3 109 (red curve).
Fig. 5. shows comparison of spectrum optical signal after
50 km, 100 km and at the end of transmission path. Brown
curve presents output after the first 50 km, blue curve represents signal after 100 km and red curve shows spectrum optical signal at the end of transmission path. The difference
among every part of transmission is approximately 3 dB.
As was mentioned above, influence of SBS has result

BER (SBS 3 1011 )

BER (SBS 3 109 )

1.006 1012

1.323 106

14

3.407 107

4.475 10

8 (100km)

2.514 1024

4.494 1015

15 (50km)

4.882 1034

4.362 1023

Fig. 6. shows eye diagrams, for SBS gain 3 1011 (Fig.

6. a) and for SBS gain 3 109 (Fig. 6. b). It is possible to
see, that eye diagram for 3 109 has worse properties than
3 1011 . The difference between diagrams is in vertical axis
too.
5. CONCLUSIONS
Optical power threshold for SBS phenomenon is the lowest
of nonlinear phenomena and range is located in mW units.
Therefore, the SBS effect is one of the most dominant nonlinear phenomena in the optical communication systems.
Brillouin scattering occurs in the reverse direction. There is
created new wave, which is heading upstream. This wave

suppressed by changing the channel spacing. SBS gain was

adjusted by calculating from parameters of fiber. In this paper
was considered influence of noise EDFA. Influences of other
nonlinear effects (FWM, XPM, etc.) are out of scope this
article, because they are investigated by my colleague.
Preferred parameters can be used for SBS phenomenon
of useful applications, such as Brillouin amplifiers and lasers.
Nonlinear effect SBS in optical fibers can be used in a variety
of devices and application systems. For example, parameters
such as narrowband Brillouin gain spectrum and high nonlinear coefficient of Brillouin. Those aspects make SBS in
optical fibers ideal for frequency selectivity and conversion
of wavelength. They were developed microwave photonic
systems using narrow bandwidth Brillouin gain to selectively
amplify sideband useful signal. Research in field of stimulated Brillouin scattering offers a large amount of application.
6. REFERENCES
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ISBN: 987-0-12397-023-7.
[2] A. Kobyakov, M. Sauer, and D. Chowdhury, Stimulated
brillouin scattering in optical fibers, Adv. Opt. Photon.,
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2013.
Fig. 6. Eye diagrams from transmission channel 13 for: a)
SBS gain 3 1011 and b) 3 109 .
is frequency shifted downward, the frequency shift of backscattered waves is about 11 GHz.
The most important factor limiting the SBS phenomenon
is to keep the input power below the threshold. In this case
it is even possible to neglect the effect of SBS in an optical
communication system. SBS threshold phenomenon depends
on more factors of the communication system, predominantly
of fiber. SBS can be suppressed by increasing the spectral line
of source of, SBS also depend on the transmitted bandwidth
and the type of optical fiber. The work was focused on the
fiber parameters that affect the SBS threshold.
Attention should be focused on DWDM communication
system with 12.5 GHz channel spacing. In this case, shift
of SBS gain is created in range approximately from 11 to 13
GHz, and creates the channel crosstalk. Crosstalk occurs only
in cases where the fiber supports propagation channels in the
opposite (back) direction. Those crosstalks can be observed
in two-way transmission systems at power levels far below
the threshold SBS. But this kind of crosstalk can be easily

[4] F. M. Ferreira, Nonlinear Effects in Optical Fibers, John

Wiley and Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey, 2011, ISBN:
978-0-470-46466-3.
[5] Xiaorui Li, Huaping Gong, Shuhua Li, and Jianfeng
Wang, Experimental investigation on pulse light stimulated Brillouin scattering in the optical fiber, IEEE, 2011,
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