Flexible grid optical spectrum transmitter, receiver, and transceiver

1. A flexible grid optical transmitter communicatively coupled to an optical network, the flexible optical transmitter comprising:

a coherent optical transmitter configured to generate a signal modulated with a configured modulation format at a respective center frequency on an optical spectrum and spanning n bins about the respective center frequency, wherein n is an integer greater than 1, wherein the coherent optical transmitter is configured to tune across the optical spectrum to the respective center frequency and to use the n bins based on the configured modulation format, and wherein the n bins is an amount of the optical spectrum needed based on the configured modulation format,

wherein the respective center frequency and the n bins are specified to the coherent optical transmitter by a management system for Operations, Administration, Maintenance, and Provisioning (OAM&P) functions.

2. The flexible grid optical transmitter of claim 1 , wherein a value of n for the bins is based on a modulation format and baud rate of the channel.

3. The flexible grid optical transmitter of claim 1 , wherein each of the n bins comprises a same arbitrary size.

4. The flexible grid optical transmitter of claim 3 , wherein the arbitrary size is greater than or equal to 1 GHz and less than or equal to 12.5 GHz.

5. The flexible grid optical transmitter of claim 3 , wherein the arbitrary size is selected based on physical parameters in the optical network comprising any of roll offs, filter functions, source stability, and tunable laser performance in combination with application requirements for channel size of the signal.

6. The flexible grid optical transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the OAM&P functions comprise managing the signal based in part on the respective center frequency and the n bins.

7. The flexible grid optical transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the signal has a spectral width, W i , that is less than or equal to n times a bin size of the n bins.

8. A flexible grid optical receiver communicatively coupled to an optical network, the flexible optical receiver comprising:

a coherent optical receiver configured to receive a signal modulated with a configured modulation format at a respective center frequency on an optical spectrum and spanning n bins about the respective center frequency, wherein n is an integer greater than 1, wherein the coherent optical receiver is configured to tune across the optical spectrum to the respective center frequency and to select the n bins based on the configured modulation format and reject the remainder of the optical spectrum aside from the n bins, and wherein the n bins is an amount of the optical spectrum needed based on the configured modulation format,

wherein the respective center frequency and the n bins are specified to the coherent optical receiver by a management system for Operations, Administration, Maintenance, and Provisioning (OAM&P) functions.

9. The flexible grid optical receiver of claim 8 , wherein a value of n for the bins is based on a modulation format and baud rate of the channel.

10. The flexible grid optical receiver of claim 8 , wherein each of the n bins comprises a same arbitrary size.

11. The flexible grid optical receiver of claim 10 , wherein the arbitrary size is greater than or equal to 1 GHz and less than or equal to 12.5 GHz.

12. The flexible grid optical receiver of claim 8 , wherein the OAM&P functions comprise managing the signal based in part on the respective center frequency and the n bins.

13. The flexible grid optical receiver of claim 8 , wherein the signal has a spectral width, W i , that is less than or equal to n times a bin size of the n bins.

14. A flexible grid optical transceiver communicatively coupled to an optical network, the flexible optical transceiver comprising:

a coherent optical transmitter configured to generate a transmit signal modulated with a configured modulation format at a respective center frequency on an optical spectrum and spanning n bins about the respective center frequency, wherein n is an integer greater than 1, wherein the coherent optical transmitter is configured to tune across the optical spectrum to the respective center frequency and to use the n bins based on the configured modulation format, and wherein the n bins is an amount of the optical spectrum needed based on the configured modulation format; and

a coherent optical receiver configured to receive a receive signal modulated with the configured modulation format at the respective center frequency and spanning n bins about the respective center frequency, wherein the coherent optical receiver is configured to tune across the optical spectrum to the respective center frequency and to select the n bins based on the configured modulation format and reject the remainder of the optical spectrum aside from the n bins,

wherein the respective center frequency and the n bins are specified to the flexible grid optical transceiver by a management system for Operations, Administration, Maintenance, and Provisioning (OAM&P) functions.

15. The flexible grid optical transceiver of claim 14 , wherein a value of n for the bins is based on a modulation format and baud rate of the channel.

16. The flexible grid optical transceiver of claim 14 , wherein each of the n bins comprises a same arbitrary size.

17. The flexible grid optical transceiver of claim 14 , wherein the signal has a spectral width, W i , that is less than or equal to n times a bin size of the n bins.