Methods and systems for data transmission

1. An optical transmitter comprising:

a first encoder configured to encode data using a staircase code to generate first codewords;

a first interleaver configured to interleave the first codewords using convolutional interleaving to spread a transmission order of the first codewords, the convolutional interleaving comprising outputting blocks of a predetermined number of consecutive bits from the first codewords in a sequence that spreads burst errors across the first codewords generated using the staircase code;

a second encoder configured to encode the interleaved first codewords using a second code to generate second codewords;

a mapper configured to map the second codewords to transmit symbols;

a second interleaver configured to interleave the transmit symbols to distribute the transmit symbols between pilot symbols; and

a frame generator configured to generate a transmit frame including the interleaved transmit symbols and the pilot symbols,

wherein the optical transmitter is configured to transmit the generated transmit frame to a receiver over a communication channel.

2. The optical transmitter of claim 1 wherein the staircase code is a recursive block-wise forward error correction code and wherein the first encoder is configured to:

map data symbols in the data to a series of two-dimensional blocks; and

compute, using the staircase code, coding symbols across the blocks to encode the blocks such that concatenating a row of a matrix transpose of a preceding encoded block with a corresponding row of a subsequent block being encoded forms a valid codeword.

3. The optical transmitter of claim 2 wherein when encoding the subsequent block, the first encoder is configured to select the coding symbols in a first row of the subsequent block so that i) a first row of the matrix transpose of the preceding encoded block, ii) the data symbols of the first row of the subsequent block, and iii) the coding symbols of the same row of the subsequent block together form the valid codeword.

4. The optical transmitter of claim 2 wherein the encoded blocks have a staircase structure that includes alternating encoded blocks and matrix transposes of the encoded blocks, and wherein each two-block wide row along a stair tread and each two-block high column along a stair riser form the valid codeword.

5. The optical transmitter of claim 1 wherein the second code is a Hamming code and wherein:

the first interleaver is configured to output the interleaved first codewords in an array of i columns and j rows; and

the second encoder is configured to encode a selected number of bits from an i th block of the array using the Hamming code to generate an encoded codeword, the number of bits being selected based on a type of the Hamming code, and to insert the encoded codeword into a j th row of the array.

6. The optical transmitter of claim 1 wherein the mapper is configured to map the second codewords to the transmit symbols using Gray code mapping.

7. The optical transmitter of claim 1 wherein the pilot symbols include a bit sequence that is encoded and mapped to the transmit symbols.

8. The optical transmitter of claim 1 wherein the pilot symbols include a bit sequence to synchronize the pilot symbols with the second codewords.

9. The optical transmitter of claim 1 wherein:

the transmit symbols include dual polarized quadrature amplitude modulated symbols; and

the pilot symbols include a polarization identification code to detect and avoid polarization collision.

10. A method for an optical transmitter comprising:

generating first codewords by encoding data using a staircase code;

spreading a transmission order of the first codewords by interleaving the first codewords using convolutional interleaving, the convolutional interleaving comprising outputting blocks of a predetermined number of consecutive bits from the first codewords in a sequence that spreads burst errors across the first codewords generated using the staircase code;

generating second codewords by encoding the interleaved first codewords using a second code;

mapping the second codewords to transmit symbols;

distributing the transmit symbols between pilot symbols by interleaving the transmit symbols;

generating a transmit frame including the interleaved transmit symbols and the pilot symbols; and

transmitting the generated transmit frame from the optical transmitter to a receiver over a communication channel.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the staircase code is a recursive block-wise forward error correction code, the method further comprising generating the first codewords by:

mapping data symbols in the data to a series of two-dimensional blocks; and

computing, using the staircase code, coding symbols across the blocks to encode the blocks such that concatenating a row of a matrix transpose of a preceding encoded block with a corresponding row of a subsequent block being encoded forms a valid codeword.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising when encoding the subsequent block, selecting the coding symbols in a first row of the subsequent block so that i) a first row of the matrix transpose of the preceding encoded block, ii) the data symbols of the first row of the subsequent block, and iii) the coding symbols of the same row of the subsequent block together form the valid codeword.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the encoded blocks have a staircase structure that includes alternating encoded blocks and matrix transposes of the encoded blocks, and wherein each two-block wide row along a stair tread and each two-block high column along a stair riser form the valid codeword.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the second code is a Hamming code, the method further comprising:

outputting the interleaved first codewords in an array of i columns and j rows;

generating an encoded codeword by encoding a selected number of bits from an i th block of the array using the Hamming code, the number of bits being selected based on a type of the Hamming code; and

inserting the encoded codeword into a j th row of the array selected.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising mapping the second codewords to the transmit symbols using Gray code mapping.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the pilot symbols include a bit sequence, the method further comprising:

encoding the bit sequence; and

mapping the encoded bit sequence to the transmit symbols.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the pilot symbols include a bit sequence, the method further comprising synchronizing the pilot symbols with the second codewords using the bit sequence.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the transmit symbols include dual polarized quadrature amplitude modulated symbols, and wherein the pilot symbols include a polarization identification code, the method further comprising detecting and avoiding polarization collision using the polarization identification code.