Computer aided design of long-haul optical transmission systems

Summary form only given. We present a general overview of the role of computer models in the design and optimization of commercial optical transmission systems. Specifically, we discuss the role of modeling in a commercial setting, achieving the proper balance between accuracy and computation speed, model verification against experiment, and case studies demonstrating the benefits of modeling. Implementing modeling in industry involves a balance between three needs: cost-efficiency, time-efficiency, and accuracy. We discuss the approaches we have taken at PhotonEx to meet these needs: leveraging academic research, developing "reduced models" and utilizing computational clusters. Specifically, we use case studies to illustrate the application of these approaches to modeling long-haul optical transmission systems.