Blind modulation format identification for digital coherent receivers

In this paper, a simple novel digital modulation format identification (MFI) scheme for coherent optical systems is proposed. The scheme is based on the evaluation of the peak-to-average-power ratio (PAPR) of the incoming data samples after analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), chromatic dispersion (CD) and polarization mode demultiplexing (PMD) compensation at the receiver (Rx). Since at a particular optical-signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) value different modulation formats have distinct PAPR values, it is possible to identify them. The proposed scheme and the results are analyzed both experimentally and through numerical simulations. The results demonstrate successful identification among four modulation formats (MF) commonly used in digital coherent systems. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America