The modern optical fibre transmission systems and technologies that are the largest contributors to global data traffic are facing challenges due to the nonlinear properties of fibre channels. It is important to recognize that most of these concepts and techniques have been developed for linear communication channels, such as e.g., radio channels. While this provides access to a vast number of already developed technologies, these methods may be not optimal for nonlinear communication channels, limiting achievable transmission rates and spectral efficiency. The impact of nonlinearity on capacity of fibre channel has been a subject of intensive studies in recent years.
Although nonlinearity is an essential component in the design of advanced fibre communication systems, it is often shunned by engineers because of its intractability. However, mastering the nonlinear effects can translate into a significant increase in the capacity of communications systems. In this talk I will outline several new approaches that aim to develop a practical framework for coding, modulation and transmission techniques based on a mathematical theory of integrable nonlinear systems and new approaches to design nonlinear channels with constructive nonlinearity.