Degree-of-polarization-based PMD monitoring for subcarrier-multiplexed signals via equalized carrier/sideband filtering

We demonstrate a method for differential-group-delay (DGD) and polarization-mode-dispersion (PMD) monitoring using the degree-of-polarization (DOP) in subcarrier-multiplexed (SCM) systems. Traditional SCM signal show very little DOP sensitivity to DGD/PMD due to the low modulation depth used for generating SCM signals. We use a narrow-band optical filter to equalize the power of the carrier and one of the sidebands by offsetting the filter from the carrier, enabling PMD and DGD monitoring and more than tripling the DOP sensitivity to DGD/PMD. Our technique is simple, uses only a single optical filter, and can be applied to both single- and double-sideband (SSB and DSB) SCM signals as well as single and multisubcarrier systems. Additionally, we show that our monitoring technique is robust to the chromatic dispersion-induced radio-frequency (RF) power fading effect seen in DSB SCM signals. Using this technique to enhance the DOP sensitivity to DGD/PMD and generate a feedback signal to a PMD compensator (PMDC), we obtain an 11-dB improvement in the 5% RF power tail.