Physical design and performance estimation of heterogeneous optical transmission systems

This article introduces the issues of design and estimation of performance of a heterogeneous optical transmission system, taking into account the multiplicity of physical effects impairing propagation simultaneously, and, most particularly, the impact of Kerr-induced non-linear effects. We review the usual engineering tools enabling us to predict system performance, as well as design tools to optimize dispersion-management. Finally, we introduce the concept of weighted non-linear phase shifts, to capture the impact of the accumulated non-linearities on a propagating signal, and derive analytical expressions for system reach and power optimization in the context of highly heterogeneous optical link with mixed fiber features.