FEBRUARY 20, 2008 -- RSoft Design Group (search for RSoft) celebrates the 10-year anniversary of its optical communication system design tool by announcing OptSim 5.0. The new release will include new features to model next-generation optical networks, with a particular focus on maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) decoding, electronic dispersion compensation (EDC) equalization, bi-directional transmission, and advanced modulation formats such as D(Q)PSK and OFDM.
RSoft believes the new OptSim features are instrumental in designing dispersion-tolerant and faster optical networks. In order to address these design requirements, OptSim 5.0 includes a new model implementing an MLSE processor to be used in intensity-modulation direct-detection (IMDD) optical receivers. The block consists of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) whose samples are sent to a parallel bank of branch metric computation stages. The extracted metric is sent to a Viterbi processor, which uses a reduced-state algorithm. The resolution of the ADC, the number of branch metric stages, and the number of states are user-defined parameters. OptSim's error counting over arbitrarily long bit sequences is the key enabler of the MLSE system simulation, since there is no alternative analytical solution to assess the system performance.
In addition to MLSE decoding, OptSim 5.0 includes models for FFE/DFE EDC with coefficient optimization based on MMSE criterion. With these models, the user can specify the number of feed-forward and feedback taps. For feedback taps equal to zero, the model degenerates in a FFE EDC. The coefficients can be manually inserted so that the user can perturb their optimal value to study the system resilience to sub-optimal EDC. OptSim 5.0 also includes additional Monte-Carlo and semi-analytical techniques specific for D(Q)PSK systems, new modulator and demodulator for OFDM systems, and a bi-directional fiber model taking into account co- and counter-propagation of signal and pumps in nonlinear optical fiber.
"Optical communication design tools such as OptSim and its multimode companion ModeSYS provide the engineer with a virtual lab to rapidly prototype optical networks, analyze their performance, and test different what-if-scenarios," said Robert Scarmozzino, RSoft's CEO. "As we celebrate OptSim's 10-year anniversary, we acknowledge the technical and market growth of optical communication design tools over the past 10 years. In the early years of product introduction, simulation software was a convenience, and now it is indispensable to the design and management of complex next-generation optical networks. As the years unfold, the industry investment in optical communication design software will continue to yield benefits in the pursuit of networks that are faster, cheaper and more flexible."
The software is available for a free one month trial.
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