PRR Project

Summary

The tasks assigned to the candidate will be carried out within the domain of short-reach multicore fiber (MCF) communication systems, leveraging the extensive and longstanding expertise of the team she/he is going to join. The ideal candidate should possess a robust scientific background, showcasing demonstrated proficiency in optical communications, preferably with a specialization in spatial division multiplexed (SDM) systems and MCF transmission. Proficiency in experimental skills within this domain is a preferred qualification. The candidate is expected to engage in activities that contribute to: (i) the generation of new ideas, tools, and knowledge through innovative research. (ii) the scientific community by actively participating in and promoting workshops and special sessions at major international conferences in the field, (iii) the society by actively participating in and promoting national and international research projects with institutions such as universities, research institutes, and companies, both at the national and international levels. Successfully carrying out these tasks will also contribute to the realization of the scientific objectives of Iscte and IT-IUL. The recruitment of a research assistant in this field will enhance scientific output, enrich the team´s expertise, and elevate the international standing of IT-IUL and Iscte. It is important to emphasize that the team´s current productivity is constrained by the substantial teaching commitments of all four team members (lecturers at Iscte-IUL). The addition of a dedicated full-time researcher will significantly amplify the team´s scientific output and influence. Another significant factor for hiring an assistant with this scientific profile is the prospect presented by the test-bed set to be implemented in the Lisbon Metro network (additional information in the "Resources offered to the candidate"). This entails a commitment of full-time dedication to fully capitalize on all the benefits, including scientific advancements and collaboration opportunities with other institutions, derived from having access to a cutting-edge test-bed on MCF communications. The planned research activities are as follows. 1) Developing methods and techniques aimed at enhancing the capacity and performance of weakly-coupled MCFs (WC-MCFs) in short-reach systems. This activity is anticipated to extend over the initial two years of the project. Two distinct lines of research, actively pursued within the research team, are slated for exploration. (i) Optimizing the design and capacity (number of cores) of WC-MCF to align with the dimensions of standard single-core single-mode fibre (SSMF), aiming to facilitate the integration of MCF technology into the market. Currently, the state of the art for MCF with these dimensions features 8 cores, and the objective is to attain a minimum of 10 cores. The current collaboration with Prof. Rodrigo Amezcua-Correa of CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics, USA, Dr. Kay Schuster from Heraeus, a manufacturer of MCF in Germany, and Dr. Tomasz Nasilowski of InPhoTech, another MCF manufacturer in Poland, will pave the way for the seamless transition from the design phase to the manufacturing process. (ii) Leveraging neural networks (NN) and advanced machine learning (ML) techniques to alleviate the impact of intercore crosstalk (ICXT) in short-reach MCF links. This is particularly crucial for MCF with the same dimensions as SSMF and a high core count (>8), playing a pivotal role in enhancing the capacity of this type of MCF. This line of research comprises the optimisation of NN and ML techniques through numerical simulations, subsequently validated by laboratory experiments to demonstrate the attained performance enhancement. 2) Evaluation of the performance of short-reach MCF transmission systems under real environmental challenges. This activity is projected to be realized through the latter half of the second year and beyond, utilizing the MCF-based test-bed within the Lisbon Metro network. It is anticipated to mark a milestone as the initial demonstration of telecommunications signal transmission along an MCF in a real environment exposed to notable stress, exemplified by the Metro tunnel. Given the high sensitivity of ICXT in WC-MCF to mechanical stress, the objective is to experimentally and theoretically characterize ICXT and assess link performance for various MCF lengths under real transmission conditions. Subsequently, the exploration of NN and ML techniques to alleviate the effect of adverse transmission conditions is envisaged. The candidate´s efforts are projected to yield a minimum of three publications in leading peer-reviewed journals and at least three communications at major international conferences within the initial three years. This is anticipated to enhance the influence of Iscte and IT-IUL both nationally and internationally, specifically in the fields of Telecommunications and Optical Communications.