Experimental comparison of dispersion-managed fiber types in a 16-channel 40 Gb/s 500 km (6 /spl times/ 84.5 km) Raman-assisted transmission link

Summary form only given. The concept of a dispersion-managed transmission span consisting of a positive (PDF) and a negative dispersion fiber (NDF) section offers the promise of highly accurate in-line chromatic dispersion control. Our experimental results confirmed that the composite PDF-NDF-PDF span configuration yielded superior Q performance and tolerance to nonlinearity over a broad range of signal launch power and Raman gain, compared to the simpler PDF-NDF arrangement. This enhanced span configuration, with the small area NDF inserted between two large area PDFs, is better suited for long haul applications where nonlinearity tolerance, dispersion management and reduced PMD are critical factors.