Design of multicast multilayered lightwave networks

A new architecture for lightwave networks is presented. It takes the form of a multicast multilayered lightwave network. In this architecture the underlying optical layer and the electronic layers work hand in hand to provide both high capacity (in the physical layer) and high connectivity( in the electronic layer). The design and the implementation technique for the multicast multilayered network is studied. The physical layer is a multicast linear lightwave network. The topology of each logical layer is modeled as a hypergraph which is then embedded on the physical layer. These networks can be designed to serve a large number of geographically dispersed users and can meet diverse requirements in terms of service and traffic characteristics