Detection and localization of crosstalk in an all-optical network

The all-optical network (AON) has been considered as promising technology for next-generation optical networks. AONs are attractive because they promise very high rates, flexible switching and broad application support. However, AONs are susceptible to malicious attacks as the signals remain in the optical domain within the network and are difficult to monitor closely. One of the serious problems with AONs is the fact that optical crosstalk is additive, and thus the aggregate effect of crosstalk over a whole network may be more nefarious than a single point of crosstalk. Crosstalk attacks can spread rapidly through the network, causing additional awkward failures and triggering multiple undesirable alarms. Therefore, these attacks must be detected and identified at any point in the network where they may occur. This results in the continuous monitoring and identification of the impairments becoming challenging in the event of transmission failures. This paper proposes a novel approach for detecting and localizing crosstalk in AONs, offering the benefit of relaxing the high cost and management complexity