Transmission of hyper-multi-level eigenvalue-modulated signal using arbitrary optical multi-eigenvalue

Optical eigenvalues of the eigenvalue equation associated with the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) are invariant during propagation in nonlinear dispersive fiber. Optical eigenvalue communication is expected to be a technology for overcoming the Kerr nonlinear limit. Several modulation methods based on optical eigenvalue have been proposed. In this paper, we demonstrate an arbitrary optical eigenvalue modulation scheme by numerical simulations and experiments. Based on the proposed scheme, the generation and transmission of a 65 536-ary eigenvalue-modulated signal is demonstrated by numerical simulation. Moreover, we experimentally demonstrate modulation, transmission, and demodulation of a 16-ary eigenvalue-modulated signal. The 16-ary signal represented by combinations of four eigenvalues can be successfully transmitted through a 100-km standard single-mode fiber line.