Analysis of the "dispersive" transmission of chirped digital optical signals

In optical transmission systems, the propagation of highspeed digital optical signals is affected by the joint action of AM-FM conversion due to the nonlinear chirping effect in a semiconductor laser and the chromatic dispersion of the optical fiber: The optical signal becomes not only attenuated, but even changed in shape in such a way that the system performance can be severely constrained. In this paper; the effect of the "dispersive" propagation of chirped digital signals in optical fiber is evaluated by an analytical model, which overcomes the asymptotic approaches of previous models and, unlike simulative approaches, permits us to maintain the sensitivity to the physical parameters governing propagation and to follow the evolution of the propagating optical pulse. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.