NSERC Industrial Research Chair in FOCUS Systems

Optical communications are the backbone of our global society, touching every aspect of our lives. Optical links enable mobile phone networks, social media, and commercial and government services. Fiber optic bandwidth is reaching its limit as we approach the Shannon limit. We must reinvent fiber optics to carry multiple modes.

The capacity increase combines advances in optical components such as fiber with the latest advances in electronic processing, including artificial intelligence to improve system architectures, digital signal processing and component design.

The project covers two major research areas: one in spatial division multiplexing (SDM) to carry multiple modes in a single fiber core, and the other in machine learning (ML) to improve optical communication systems.