Energy-Efficient Transponder Configuration for FMF-based Elastic Optical Networks

We propose an energy-efficient procedure for transponder configuration in FMF-based elastic optical networks in which quality of service and physical constraints are guaranteed and joint optimization of transmit optical power, temporal, spatial and spectral variables are addressed. We use geometric convexification techniques to provide convex representations for quality of service, transponder power consumption and transponder configuration problem. Simulation results show that our convex formulation is considerably faster than its mixed-integer nonlinear counterpart and its ability to optimize transmit optical power reduces total transponder power consumption up to 32%. We also analyze the effect of mode coupling and number of available modes on power consumption of different network elements. Keywords—Convex optimization, Green communication, Elastic optical networks, Few-mode fibers, Mode coupling.