Waveform distortion due to near-end reflections in direct detection lightwave systems using single-mode semiconductor lasers

Deterministic rate equations describing the nonlinear modulation dynamics of single-mode semiconductor lasers are used to assess the performance implications of external optical feedback for multigigabit-per-second lightwave systems. The rapid increase in the eye closure penalty resulting in a return loss of about 20 dB, is consistent with published experimental data.>