A new multiuser detector for optical code division multiple access communications systems

Optical code division multiple access has been proposed as an alternative multiple access scheme for multiuser fiber-optic communication systems. Many previous works on the receivers for such systems have focused on the correlation receiver which is optimal in the single user case. However, it has been shown that the performance of the correlation receiver is unsatisfactory when there is a large number of interferers. Multiuser detection becomes an appealing method to improve the system performance. In this paper, a new multiuser detector for optical code division multiple access communication systems, referred to as the multistage decorrelating receiver, is proposed. Its structure is much simpler than the optimal multiuser detector at the expense of slight performance degradation. Both simulation and analysis of the receiver are carried out. Comparison of the proposed detector with several other receivers is also presented