Simulation of the effects of laser clipping on the performance of AM SCM lightwave systems

Simulations of clipping-induced nonlinear distortion (NLD) for a semiconductor laser under the intensity-modulation of multichannel amplitude modulated subcarrier multiplexed (AM SCM) video signals are presented. The results show that for a carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) of 55 dB, the fundamental limit is 85 channels per milliwatt of received power. The results indicate that the NLD may be 5-15 dB better than predicted by a previously reported fundamental analysis, but that they are consistent with more recent analytical results. Furthermore, it is shown that the number of channels may be increased significantly if the CNR is relaxed below 55 dB.<>