One often cited and also actively researched application for Kerr frequency combs is optical data transmission. Because of their large mode spacing, which is compatible with the ITU grid of 25, 50 or 100 GHz, Kerr frequency combs can make the ideal source for coherent data transmission. In principle it would be possible to replace several hundred individual lasers with one Kerr frequency comb. In addition it would be possible to use the coherence of the frequency comb lines to reduce effects of nonlinearity. However, before looking into the advantages of Kerr frequency combs for data transmission applications, I thought it would be a good idea to see, what the current, commercial technology is capable of. And I have to say, I am quite impressed. Here is some information about a recently installed sea fiber link in the Baltic Sea, the C-Lion-1: 15 TBits/s per fiber, 8 fibers, 120 TBits/s aggregated capacity! See below how this is achieved.
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