Integrating Physical Layer Modeling in the Simulation of Dynamic WDM Optical Networks with Direct and Coherent Detection

In this paper, we enhanced the capability of SIMON (Simulator for Optical Networks) by considering different mod-ulation formats. This is achieved by integrating a new physical network model that can support both direct and coherent communication data in SIMON. SIMON is implemented in C++ and previously supported only Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) with direct optical network simulation. It measures the network blocking probability by considering various optical device characteristics. SIMON model was adept at capturing the most significant impairments that affect the Bit-Error Rate (BER). This study introduces refinements in SIMON, consid-ering the fiber dispersion and non-linear effects compensated using digital signal processing. This paper extensively compares Direct Optical Networks (DONs) and Coherent Optical Networks (CONs) regarding their performance, efficiency, and reliability. We analyze the performance of both types of networks towards two different network topologies under diverse conditions. The results from our simulations underscore both network types' strengths and weaknesses and provide a foundation for making informed decisions on network deployments.