GOALI: Collaborative Research: An Experimentally Validated Simulation Framework for Next-Generation Plastic Optical Fiber-based Systems on Airplanes

Montana State University, Bozeman MT

Investigators

Abstract

GOALI: Collaborative Research: An Experimentally-Validated Simulation Framework for Next-Generation Plastic Optical Fiber-based Systems on Airplanes This research project seeks to develop an experimentally-validated simulation framework that will help investigate and design Plastic Optical Fiber (POF)-based communication systems and networks for airplanes. The main participants are The College of Staten Island (CSI/CUNY), Montana State University-Bozeman (MSU), and The City College of New York (CCNY/CUNY). It will also involve an international collaboration with the University of Zaragoza (UZ), Spain, and a GOALI component with the world-leader in avionics, The Boeing Co. Avionic communication systems are currently undergoing a radical transformation in both the commercial and military sectors. The former (commercial), the focus of this project, exhibits an increasing need for high-speed communication due to emerging applications for the traveling public, as well as higher operational needs for the ultra-modern aircraft that are being deployed. In addition, aging aircraft wiring poses a significant threat to aircrafts, as electrical wires have proven to be one of the major factors leading to airplane failures. Therefore, there is an ongoing migration of avionic data buses from copper to fiber-based networks, since the latter exhibit high transmission capacity and high electromagnetic immunity. The investigators have suggested POF as a suitable transmission medium for next-generation avionic communication systems on commercial aircrafts due to its ease of handling, light weight and high tolerance to vibration, among other benefits. While experimental results have demonstrated the feasibility of high-speed data transmission over different types of POFs, the modeling and simulation of POF-based systems is lagging behind. Therefore, the investigators will develop a comprehensive set of components and simulation techniques that empower engineers to systematically explore different designs before settling on a final custom solution for their particular system. They will also make a special effort to involve women and underrepresented groups in the effort since they traditionally are not exposed to avionic systems engineering. The goal of the project is to study the use of POF in an airplane environment with an emphasis on system performance and high bit rate transmissions. Glass fiber has a number of problems when used as a transmission medium in short-reach networks such as avionic networks. It is mechanically weak and generally lacks bending ability. Also, the core diameter of single-mode glass optical fiber is small (~10mm) and it requires very precise handling techniques. Plastic optical fiber (POF), even with its high loss (~100-300 dB/km) and diffusion, can solve these problems since it is easier to handle and has a bending radius of about 5 mm, which can be a big benefit in avionics networks. Its larger core diameter (50 mm to 1 mm) enables easy connections using inexpensive connectors. The increased core diameter allows higher tolerance to vibrations and to dust particles that can totally obstruct light propagation in glass fibers. The investigators will cover three different types of POF: large-core (up to 1 mm) step-index plastic optical fiber (SI-POF), multicore step-index plastic optical fiber (MC SI-POF), and graded-index plastic optical fiber (GI-POF). There are existing simulation models that capture all the guided modes in multimode fibers with detailed spatial fields; however, they are not adequate for large-core fibers, where there are millions of propagation modes. The project intends to develop computationally-efficient models that circumvent the need for prohibitively long simulation times and excessive computer memory. The model validation, a critical component of the project, will be done via a combination of the state-of-the-art device characterization laboratory at the University of Zaragoza and a testbed at the College of Staten Island. Montana State University will primarily work on advanced modulation formats and digital signal processing algorithms. Boeing Co. will provide prototype devices and realistic system designs. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.