BER evaluation for phase and polarization diversity optical homodyne receivers using noncoherent ASK and DPSK demodulation

An analysis of the performance of phase diversity receivers using amplitude-shift keying (ASK) and differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) is presented. Both (2*2) and (3*3) multiport receivers are investigated. Asymptotic methods are used to estimate the bit error rate (BER) and signal-to-noise power ratio (SNR) dependence for each type of the receiver. The analysis favors the squarers as the demodulators for ASK whose performance approaches that of the ideal heterodyne detector in the limit of large SNR. A modification of the ASK ((3*3)) receiver which cancels the local oscillator intensity noise is proposed. Receivers which comprise polarization and phase diversity techniques are also investigated for both ASK and DPSK. Their performance is independent of the polarization state of the received signal, and the value of SNR required to obtain the BER of 10/sup -9/ is only a few tenths of a decibel greater than that needed by the phase diversity receivers.<>