About the project
This is an opportunity to carry out a PhD at the Communications Systems Lab of the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC). The group has been at the forefront of optical fibre communications since the very earliest days of the field providing several critical contributions, including the invention of the erbium doped fibre amplifier – a device that eliminated fibre loss as the fundamental limiting factor to signal transmission and which is installed in all modern optical communication networks. Optical communications remains by far the largest market for photonics and as such it represents one of the ORC’s primary research areas.
The ORC pioneers research on novel optical fibres exhibiting characteristics that enable disruptive applications in several application fields. This PhD project will study the use of multi-core optical fibres for both telecomm and datacomm applications. Multi-core fibres have typically been considered for long-haul transmission systems, benefitting from the direct up-scale in transmission capacity that they offer. In this project, we will consider their novel potential networks in a diverse range of optical networks, such as 5G/6G back-haul and datacentre networks. The overall objective will be to demonstrate energy-efficient solutions that offer higher capacity than currently employed systems.
The project capitalises on the long tradition of the ORC as a leading research centre for optical fibre technologies. It is supported with substantial funding from the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the AirGuide Photonics Programme Grant, as well as a new £12M Government-funded project aiming at tackling challenges towards future open networks. It is a highly experimental project based on the state-of-the-art telecommunications systems laboratory of the ORC. The successful candidate will be required to work in collaboration with partners both within and outside the University of Southampton.
