Modeling and Computation Seminar

Almost since the very first fiber optic communication system was realized in a lab, researchers have been imagining the creation of an automated, switched ‘intelligent’ optical network able to move data with the expansive capacity of the optical spectrum. Multiple attempts at this have wrecked upon the rocky shores of the physics behind optical transmission. Optical systems today are largely ‘fat pipes’ that carry large volumes data but lack any intelligent switching capability. Software tools aid network operators in configuring system and remote controls are able to automate simple tasks. With 5G wireless and other software defined networking (SDN) applications driving greater automation at higher speeds and lower latency, there is more need for intelligence in the optical layer than ever before. Machine learning and other advanced algorithms have gained interest as a potential pathway to better predicting and controlling the complex physical systems that comprise an optical network. We will describe some of the sisyphean efforts to realize intelligent optical networks and the state of the art today. New approaches that involve machine learning will be reviewed and we will identify promising areas going forward. Bio: Dr. Dan Kilper is a research professor and Director of the Center for Integrated Access Networks (CIAN) in the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, Tucson. He holds a joint appointment in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Arizona and an adjunct faculty position in Electrical Engineering at Columbia University. He received a PhD in Physics from the University of Michigan in 1996. From 2000-2013, he was a member of technical staff at Bell Labs. He received the Bell Labs President's Gold Medal Award for his work on physical layer control that enabled the first continental scale transparent network. He is recognized internationally as a pioneer in physical layer monitoring and control including its use in software defined networks for metro, data centers, and 5G wireless applications. He holds seven patents and authored five book chapters and more than one hundred fifty peer-reviewed publications.