The relation between the phase shift and the mean optical power (MOP) output from a delay-line interferometer (DLI) port applied for phase-shift keying (PSK) signal demodulation is proven of a cosine law irrelevant to signal modulation condition. The variation amplitude of the MOP is proportional to the transition duration of the modulation pulses. This phenomenon is interpreted as the result of the statistical and waveform characteristics of the PSK. The conclusions verified by simulation and experiment are generalized to other modulation formats and then applied to phase detuning monitoring, delay time judgment of DLI, and independence of modulation data assessment.

Using differential detection, we perform polarization-multiplexing 160-Gb/s optical non-return-to-zero (NRZ) differential quadrature phase shift keying (DQPSK) signal transmission over 100-km standard single mode fiber at a bit error rate (BER) of less than 10-9. The enabling technology includes clock recovery, fine dispersion compensation, and polarization tracking for de-multiplexing. Furthermore, a hybrid clock recovery scheme is proposed. The scheme is realized with ordinary devices using an optoelectrical modulator to down-convert the clock frequency and a phase-locked loop for filtering, which can provide an indication signal that simultaneously monitors residual dispersion and tracking polarization.