Optimized Dispersion Compensation Using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing

Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) can compensate for linear distortions, such as group-velocity dispersion (GVD) and polarization-mode dispersion (PMD), provided the cyclic prefix is sufficiently long. Typically, GVD is dominant, as it requires a longer cyclic prefix. Assuming coherent detection, we show how to analytically compute the minimum number of subcarriers and cyclic prefix length required to achieve a specified power penalty, trading off power penalties from the cyclic prefix and from residual inter-symbol interference (ISI) and inter-carrier interference (ICI). We derive an analytical expression for the power penalty from residual ISI and ICI.