Wiener–Hammerstein Model Based Electrical Equalizer for Optical Communication Systems

Nonlinear distortion caused by fiber nonlinearity is a major performance-limiting factor in advanced optical communication systems. We proposed a nonlinear electrical equalization scheme based on the Wiener-Hammerstein model. Compared with other popular nonlinear compensation techniques such as the Volterra model, the Wiener-Hammerstein model approach has a simpler structure and requires less calculation. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the capability of a Wiener-Hammerstein model based electrical equalizer used in a coherent optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system. It is shown that the Wiener-Hammerstein model based equalizer can significantly reduce nonlinear distortion and can deliver a performance comparable to the Volterra model based equalizer.