Front end characterization of coherent receiver

1. A method for optical communication, the method comprising:

receiving, with an optical module of a receiver, a polarization-multiplexed optical signal that includes a first portion having a first polarization and a second portion having a second polarization, wherein the first portion and the second portion are not coherent with one another and a power of the first portion is equal to a power of the second portion;

determining, with a processor, one or more of a gain imbalance and frequency response of a front end of the receiver based on the received polarization-multiplexed optical signal, the front end comprising components of the optical module for converting optical signals into analog electrical signals, components of the receiver for converting the analog electrical signals into digital signals, and components and traces of the receiver that interconnect the optical module and the processor; and

applying, with the processor, compensation to electrical signals received by the processor based on one or more of the determined gain imbalance and frequency response.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the polarization-multiplexed optical signal comprises receiving the polarization-multiplexed optical signal that is generated from a first optical signal that is modulated at a first frequency and having the first polarization and a second optical signal that is modulated at a second, different frequency and having the second, different polarization.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first optical signal that is modulated at the first frequency comprises an optical signal having a periodic signal having a narrowband frequency spectrum at around the first frequency, and wherein the second optical signal modulated at the second frequency comprises an optical signal having a periodic signal having a narrowband frequency spectrum at around the second frequency.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein a difference between the first frequency and the second frequency is greater than a spectral width of a laser whose lightwave is used to generate the first optical signal and the second optical signal.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

receiving, from the processor with the optical module, a first electrical signal having the first frequency and a second electrical signal having the second frequency;

splitting, with a beam splitter of the optical module, a light of a laser of the optical module into a first lightwave and a second lightwave;

modulating, with the optical module, the first lightwave with the first electrical signal to generate the first optical signal that is modulated at the first frequency;

modulating, with the optical module, the second lightwave with the second electrical signal to generate the second optical signal that is modulated at the second frequency;

rotating, with a polarization rotator of the optical module, polarization of the first optical signal;

combining, with the optical module, the first optical signal having the rotated polarization and the second optical signal to generate the polarization-multiplexed optical signal; and

transmitting, with the optical module, the polarization-multiplexed optical signal.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

prior to transmitting the polarization-multiplexed optical signal, transmitting, with the optical module, a data optical signal; and

determining a bias loop lock point during the transmission of the data optical signal,

wherein transmitting the polarization-multiplexed optical signal comprises transmitting the polarization-multiplexed optical signal with a bias loop locked at the bias loop lock point.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

amplifying the received first electrical signal and the received second electrical signal with a plurality of drive amplifiers of the optical module, wherein the plurality of drive amplifiers are configured to provide linear gain;

wherein modulating the lightwave with the first electrical signal comprises modulating the lightwave with the first electrical signal that is amplified by a first set of the plurality of drive amplifiers, and

wherein modulating the lightwave with the second electrical signal comprises modulating the lightwave with the second electrical signal that is amplified by a second set of the plurality of drive amplifiers.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

mixing each one of a plurality of optical signals having different frequencies generated from a local oscillator of the optical module with the received polarization-multiplexed optical signal to generate a plurality of electrical signals,

wherein determining one or more of the gain imbalance and frequency response of the front end of the receiver based on the received polarization-multiplexed optical signal comprises determining one or more of the gain imbalance and frequency response of the front end based on the plurality of electrical signals generated from the mixing of the received polarization-multiplexed optical signal.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the polarization-multiplexed optical signal comprises receiving the polarization-multiplexed optical signal having a changing optical carrier frequency.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the degree of polarization of the polarization-multiplexed optical signal is approximately zero.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the polarization-multiplexed optical signal comprises receiving an optical signal generated from a combination of two different, de-coupled laser sources.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the polarization-multiplexed optical signal comprises receiving an optical signal generated from combining via a polarization beam combiner two optical signals traveling via different polarization-maintaining optical paths, wherein the two optical signals are generated from a single laser source with output of the single laser source being split by a polarization beam splitter, and wherein a difference in a length between the optical paths is greater than a coherence length of the single laser source.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the polarization-multiplexed optical signal comprises receiving an optical signal generated from combining via a polarization beam combiner two optical signals traveling via different polarization-maintaining optical paths, wherein the two optical signals are generated from a single laser source with output of the single laser source being split by a beam splitter, and wherein a difference in a length between the optical paths is greater than a coherence length of the single laser source, and wherein the polarization in one path is rotated by a polarization rotator.

14. An electronic device for optical communication, the electronic device comprising:

a receiver having an optical module configured to receive a polarization-multiplexed optical signal that includes a first portion having a first polarization and a second portion having a second polarization, wherein the first portion and the second portion are not coherent with one another and a power of the first portion is equal to a power of the second portion; and

a processor configured to:

determine one or more of a gain imbalance and frequency response of a front end of the receiver based on the received polarization-multiplexed optical signal, the front end comprising components of the optical module for converting optical signals into analog electrical signals, components of the receiver for converting the analog electrical signals into digital signals, and components and traces of the receiver that interconnect the optical module and the processor; and

apply compensation to electrical signals received by the processor based on one or more of the determined gain imbalance and frequency response.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the optical module is configured to receive the polarization-multiplexed optical signal that is generated from a first optical signal that is modulated at a first frequency and having the first polarization and a second optical signal that is modulated at a second, different frequency and having the second, different polarization.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the first optical signal that is modulated at the first frequency comprises an optical signal having a periodic signal having a narrowband frequency spectrum at around the first frequency, and wherein the second optical signal modulated at the second frequency comprises an optical signal having a periodic signal having a narrowband frequency spectrum at around the second frequency.

17. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein a difference between the first frequency and the second frequency is greater than a spectral width of a laser whose lightwave is used to generate the first optical signal and the second optical signal.

18. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the optical module is configured to:

receive, from the processor, a first electrical signal having the first frequency and a second electrical signal having the second frequency;

split, with a beam splitter of the optical module, a light of a laser of the optical module into a first lightwave and a second lightwave;

modulate the first lightwave with the first electrical signal to generate the first optical signal that is modulated at the first frequency;

modulate the second lightwave with the second electrical signal to generate the second optical signal that is modulated at the second frequency;

rotate, with a polarization rotator of the optical module, polarization of the first optical signal;

combine the first optical signal having the rotated polarization and the second optical signal to generate the polarization-multiplexed optical signal; and

transmit the polarization-multiplexed optical signal.

19. The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the optical module is configured to transmit a data optical signal prior to transmitting the polarization-multiplexed optical signal, wherein the processor is configured to determine a bias loop lock point during the transmission of the data optical signal, and wherein the optical module is configured to transmit the polarization-multiplexed optical signal with a bias loop locked at the bias loop lock point.

20. The electronic device of claim 18 , further comprising a plurality of drive amplifiers configured to provide linear gain and amplify the received first electrical signal and the received second electrical signal,

wherein the optical module is configured to modulate the lightwave with the first electrical signal that is amplified by a first set of the plurality of drive amplifiers, and

wherein the optical module is configured to modulate the lightwave with the second electrical signal that is amplified by a second set of the plurality of drive amplifiers.

21. The electronic device of claim 14 , further comprising:

an analog-to-digital converter of the front end,

wherein the processor is configured to:

determine a skew of an output of the ADC based on the received polarization-multiplexed optical signal;

correct the skew of the output of the ADC,

wherein to determine one or more of the gain imbalance and the frequency response, the processor is configured to determine one or more of the gain imbalance and the frequency response based on the output of the ADC with the skew correction.

22. The electronic device of claim 14 , further comprising:

a local oscillator; and

one or more optical hybrid mixers configured to mix each one of a plurality of optical signals having different frequencies generated from the local oscillator with the received polarization-multiplexed optical signal to generate a plurality of electrical signals,

wherein to determine one or more of the gain imbalance and frequency response of the front end of the receiver based on the received polarization-multiplexed optical signal, the processor is configured to determine one or more of the gain imbalance and frequency response of the front end based on the plurality of electrical signals generated from the mixing of the polarization-multiplexed optical signal.

23. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the optical module is configured to receive the polarization-multiplexed optical signal having a changing optical carrier frequency.

24. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the degree of polarization of the polarization-multiplexed optical signal is approximately zero.

25. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the electronic device comprises one of:

a line card; or

a chassis that includes the line card, and wherein the line card includes the optical module and the processor.

26. A system for optical communication, the system comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a polarization-multiplexed optical signal that includes a first portion having a first polarization and a second portion having a second polarization, wherein the first portion and the second portion are not coherent with one another and a power of the first portion is equal to a power of the second portion; and

an electronic device comprising:

a receiver having an optical module configured to receive the polarization-multiplexed optical signal; and

a processor configured to determine one or more of a gain imbalance and frequency response of a front end based on the received polarization-multiplexed optical signal, and apply compensation to electrical signals received by the processor based on one or more of the determined gain imbalance and frequency response, wherein the front end comprises components of the optical module for converting optical signals into analog electrical signals, components of the receiver for converting the analog electrical signals into digital signals, and components and traces of the receiver that interconnect the optical module and the processor.

27. The system of claim 26 , wherein the optical module comprises the transmitter, and wherein the optical module is configured to:

receive a first electrical signal having the first frequency and a second electrical signal having the second frequency;

split, with a beam splitter of the optical module, a light of a laser of the optical module into a first lightwave and a second lightwave;

modulate the first lightwave with the first electrical signal to generate the first optical signal that is modulated at the first frequency;

modulate the second lightwave with the second electrical signal to generate the second optical signal that is modulated at the second frequency;

rotate, with a polarization rotator of the optical module, polarization of the first optical signal; and

combine the first optical signal having the rotated polarization and the second optical signal to generate the polarization-multiplexed optical signal.

28. The system of claim 26 , wherein the transmitter comprises:

a first laser source;

a second laser source, decoupled from the first laser source; and

a beam combiner configured to combine an optical signal from the first laser source and an optical signal from the second laser source to generate the polarization-multiplexed optical signal.

29. The system of claim 26 , wherein the transmitter comprises:

a laser source;

a beam splitter configured to split an optical signal from the laser source into a first optical signal and a second optical signal;

a first optical path for carrying the first optical signal;

a second optical path for carrying the second optical signal, wherein a difference in a length between the first optical path and the second optical path is greater than a coherence length of the laser source; and

a beam combiner configured to combine an output from the first optical path and an output from the second optical path to generate the polarization-multiplexed optical signal.

30. The system of claim 29 , further comprising:

a polarization rotator,

wherein one of the first optical path or the second optical path includes the polarization rotator.