Demonstration of QPSK data correlation and equalization using a tunable optical tapped delay line based on orbital angular momentum mode delays

Abstract We demonstrate a tunable optical tapped delay line (OTDL) using delays based on orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes to perform data correlation and equalization for a quadrature phase-shift-keyed (QPSK) signal. The system: (i) creates N signal replicas as N taps on different OAM modes through mode multicasting, (ii) tunes the complex tap weights (i.e., amplitude and phase of the modes), (iii) applies a tunable mode-dependent delay to each replica, and (iv) coherently combines the taps in order to realize the OTDL functions of correlation and equalization. The experiment results: (i) identify the correlation occurrence of a sequence of 2 or 3 symbols in an incoming 10 or 20 Gbaud QPSK signal, and (ii) equalize the distortion caused by chromatic dispersion for a 20-Gbaud QPSK data signal and reduce error vector magnitude (EVM) from ∼ 25.4 to ∼ 12.9%.