The OptCom group has carried out a ground-breaking experiment of ultra-long haul transmission, proving the effectiveness of the so-called “symbol rate optimization” (SRO) strategy to improve system  performance. 19 PM-QPSK channels at 128 Gb/s were sent over a link with 110 km span length and EDFA-only amplification. The fiber was PSCF, provided by SEC (Sumitomo Electric Industries). A system reach of over 14,200 km was obtained, with a 12.5% reach gain obtained through SRO, vs. conventional single-carrier transmission. SRO was implemented by subdividing each channel into subcarriers.

Hundreds of people has visited the PhotonLab booth during the 10th researchers' night held in Turin during the last Friday. The booth called "Occhio al Fotone" allowed kids and adults to play with light so as to learn some of the "superpowers" of light. Kids of all ages played with plastic optical fibers trying to transmit words and messages with light, and at the same time they learned the basic principles of optical fiber communications.