64 × 0.5 Gbaud Nonlinear Frequency Division Multiplexed Transmissions With High Order Modulation Formats

Nonlinear frequency division multiplexing (NFDM) with the modulation of the nonlinear Fourier spectrum (both discrete and continuous parts) has been recently considered as a promising transmission method to combat fiber nonlinearity impairments. In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate the generation, detection, and transmission performance of NFDM systems where the transmitted information is encoded directly onto the continuous part of the nonlinear spectrum using 64 overlapped 0.5 Gbaud channels with high order QAM formats (e.g., 16 QAM, 32 QAM, and 64 QAM). In comparison with the conventional orthogonal frequency division multiplexing transmission, which is the linear counterpart of NFDM transmission, clear performance advantage of NFDM systems, up to 1.3 dB, has been observed. This result indicates for the first time the performance benefit of NFDM transmission over its linear counterpart, showing the high potential of this emerging technology.