The Encyclopedia of Modern Optics, Second Edition, Five Volume Set provides a wide-ranging overview of the field, comprising authoritative reference articles for undergraduate and postgraduate students and those researching outside their area of expertise. Topics covered include classical and quantum optics, lasers, optical fibers and optical fiber systems, optical materials and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Articles cover all subfields of optical physics and engineering, such as electro-optical design of modulators and detectors. This update contains contributions from international experts who discuss topics such as nano-photonics and plasmonics, optical interconnects, photonic crystals and 2D materials, such as graphene or holy fibers. Other topics of note include solar energy, high efficiency LED’s and their use in illumination, orbital angular momentum, quantum optics and information, metamaterials and transformation optics, high power fiber and UV fiber lasers, random lasers and bio-imaging. Addresses recent developments in the field and integrates concepts from fundamental physics with applications for manufacturing and engineering/design Provides a broad and interdisciplinary coverage of specialist areas Ensures that the material is appropriate for new researchers and those working in a new sub-field, as well as those in industry Thematically arranged and alphabetically indexed, with cross-references added to facilitate ease-of-use

In this chapter, we present an overview of multicarrier transmission and its application to optical communication. Specifically, we first introduce the historical perspectives in the development of optical multicarrier technologies. We then present different variants of optical multicarrier transmission. We also highlight the problem of fiber nonlinearity in optical multicarrier transmission systems and present an analysis of fiber capacity under nonlinear impairments. Furthermore, we discuss applications of multicarrier techniques to long-haul systems, access networks, and free-space optical communication systems. Finally, we summarize with some possible research directions in implementing multicarrier technologies in optical transmission.