Cross-Layer RWA in Translucent Optical Networks

Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM)-based optical networks are ideal candidates for core backbone networks because of their ability to carry large amounts of traffic. Optical amplification has increased the reach of long-haul optical links. Nevertheless, it is impossible today to construct a truly optical network without converting optical signals to electrical signals and regenerating them, because of the deleterious effects of physical impairments such as amplifier noise, dispersion, and non-linear effects such as four-wave mixing and cross-phase modulation. Being expensive devices, these regenerators are expected to be sparsely located and used in such a network called as a translucent optical network.