Optical-layer multicast based on network coding

Optical-layer multicast will be a promising solution for high-speed and high-bandwidth multicast applications. While network coding can achieve maximum multicast rate by allowing intermediate network nodes to combine the data received from different incoming links. Therefore, how to apply network coding to optical-layer multicast has been attracting much attention. Due to the limitation of optical buffering and optical processing capabilities, several critical issues should be addressed, e.g., constructing an optical multicast tree with minimum coding resource and finding a network coding scheme realized by practical optical hardware. In this talk, we introduce our research and development activities on the optical-layer multicast based on networking coding, which is partly supported by NSFC (No. 60772024). Firstly, we discuss an improved quantum-inspired evolutionary algorithm that allows different chromosomes to select different updating parameter at each generation. Its efficiency is verified with high success ratio and small number of coding nodes in constructing a multicast tree. Then, we present a network coding scheme that recoveries the original signals at each coding node. The kernel function can be realized by logical bit shifting and bitwise XOR in optical domain. Finally, we build an experimental network, on which optical multicast via network coding is successfully demonstrated.