Capacity limitations in fiber-optic communication systems as a result of polarization-dependent loss

We characterize the effect of polarization dependent loss (PDL) on the information capacity of fiber-optic channels. The reduction in the outage capacity owing to the PDL is quantified as well as the signal-to-noise ratio margin that needs to be allocated for the PDL in order to avoid loss of capacity. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America