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Opto-Electronics and Communications Conference (OECC)

MCF-based quantum CDC-ROADM architecture with multi-granularity switching function

Ziliang Xu, Yongmei Sun, Weiwen Kong, Yaoxian Gao

Published Jul 2, 2023• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We propose a novel multi-core fiber (MCF)-based quantum CDC-ROADM (MCF-QROADM) with multigranularity switching function. MCF-QROADM uses MCFs as the fibers of the port to improve transmission capacity. Moreover, MCF-QROADM can pass through fewer devices to achieve the function of multi-granularity switching, which can reduce the loss of the quantum signal caused by the switch node architecture, and thus increase the transmission distance of quantum signals. In addition, MCF-QROADM can achieve the function of colorless, directionless and contentionless (CDC) through the design of reasonable add and drop modules. The simulation results show that MCF-QROADM has a better performance than the existing architectures.

DOI
10.1109/oecc56963.2023.10209641

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To ensure the security of optical networks in the future, integrating quantum key distribution (QKD) with optical networks is one of the solutions. Moreover, the optical network based on multi-core fiber (MCF) is also one of the ways to improve the transmission capacity. Therefore, we study the integration of QKD into MCF-enabled optical networks. Aiming at the resource allocation problem of MCF-enabled wavelength division multiplexing optical networks, this paper proposes a resource allocation scheme which is suitable for independent-core-transmission of classical signals and quantum signals. For core resource, we propose the alternate core allocation algorithm. For wavelength resource, we propose the iteration-based wavelength allocation algorithm. The overall scheme uses the proposed two algorithms to first allocate the core and then allocate the wavelength. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme has a great improvement in secret key rate (SKR) compared with the benchmark scheme on the regular hexagonal 7-core fiber and 19-core fiber. And the proposed scheme still has good performance under long transmission distance and high classical signal power.
The load-bearing modes of power man services are quite different.Network switching nodes not only need to support the exchange of quantum signal, synchronous signal and classic signal, but also need to have multi granularity signal exchange function to support the encrypted transmission of power services with different service levels.The multi granularity quantum switch node structure based on fiber level switch layer, band level switch layer and wavelength level switch layer is adopted to improve the flexibility of switch node and reduce the scale of cross connection matrix.At the same time, the wavelength selection switch is introduced into the multi granularity quantum switching node, which ensures the same path exchange between the quantum signal and the synchronous signal of the same user through the programmable flexible wavelength selection.The simulation results show that the quantum switch node structure is feasible in the application of power man.
Performance analysis of continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) has been one of the focuses of quantum communications. In this paper, we propose an approach to enhancing the secret rate of CVQKD with the multi-core fiber (MCF) system that transmits multiple spatial modes simultaneously. The excess noise contributed by the inter-core crosstalk between cores can be effectively suppressed by quantum channel wavelength management, leading to the performance improvement of the MCF-based CVQKD system. In the security analysis, we perform numerical simulations for the Gaussian-modulated coherent state CVQKD protocol, considering simultaneously the extra insert loss of fan-in/fan-out (FIFO), which is the extra optical device that should be used at the input and the output of the fiber. Simulation results show that the performance of the one-way and two-way protocols for each core are slightly degraded because of the insert loss of the FIFO, but the total secret key rate can be increased, whereas the performance of the measurement-device-independent CVQKD protocol will be degraded due to the effect of the insert loss of the FIFO. These results may provide theoretical foundation for the space-division multiplexing CVQKD system.
We propose a quantum access network based on multicore fiber (MCF) to scale up the number of users in quantum key distribution (QKD) networks. The MCF is used as feeder fiber and single core single mode fibers (SSMFs) are used as drop fibers. Quantum signals (QSs) are integrated with classical signals (CSs) in both MCF and SSMFs to save deployment cost since access networks are cost sensitive. Due to the integration, spontaneous Raman scattering (SRS) and intercore crosstalk (ICXT) are the main impairment sources to QKD. To alleviate the noise, we propose a core and wavelength assignment scheme (CWAS) that a dedicated core of MCF is used to transmit QSs and the wavelengths of QSs are set lower than those of upstream signals. Also, we demonstrate that wavelength time division multiplexing (WTDM) is suitable for QSs which are required to support large number of quantum users, since WTDM can realize higher secure key rate (SKR) than time division multiplexing (TDM) and require lower cost than wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). Finally, the proposed quantum access network is verified experimentally. The experiment results are consistent with our analysis. The properties of SRS in the proposed architecture are shown in the experiments through the quantum bit error rates (QBERs) in different experimental case, which verifies the superiority of the proposed CWAS. Also, the characteristics of the SKRs prove that the number of receivers has a great impact on the performance of QSs using WTDM.
The integration of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) into optical networks has emerged as a promising solution for securing sensitive data transmission in mobile fronthaul applications. However, implementing QKD typically requires dedicated dark fibers, which increases network complexity and deployment costs. This paper explores an approach that leverages Multi-Core Fibers (MCF) to integrate both classical and quantum channels within the same optical fiber, utilizing Space Division Multiplexing (SDM). By dedicating separate cores for quantum and classical channels, the proposed system minimizes the need for additional infrastructure while ensuring secure and efficient communication. Crosstalk between cores, a critical factor in MCF design, is analyzed through simulations, considering parameters such as core pitch and operating spectrum. Results demonstrate the feasibility of achieving minimal inter-core crosstalk for reliable quantum and classical channel coexistence. This study underscores the potential of MCF-based SDM as a cost-effective and scalable solution for future quantum-secured mobile networks.