Architectures and techniques for all-optical networks

Some recent results on all-optical packet-switching and broadcasting networks are presented. The performance evaluation problem of packet-switching transparent optical networks with deflection routing is addressed. Transmission error arguments show how, for a given optical bit rate, the size of an all-optical nonregenerative multishop network is limited by the accumulation of noise and distortion in the optical fiber channel. Time-domain multiple access techniques are exploited in novel architectures based on recently proposed all-optical sampling gates to realize the matching of the ultrahigh optical speed allowed by the large bandwidth of the fiber with the lower speed of the electronic components needed at the user ends. These architectures allow great simplification of the node structure in the considered all-optical multihop and broadcast networks.