Optical transmitters with unbalanced optical sidebands separated by gaps

An apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of transmitters, wherein each of the transmitters is configured to generate an optical signal comprising:
• a carrier modulated with at least two sidebands modulated with information, wherein the information introduces a separation gap in a frequency domain between the sidebands and the carrier, wherein one of the sidebands is an undesired sideband and another one of the sidebands is a desired sideband, wherein the sidebands are unbalanced due to the desired sideband having a higher power intensity than the undesired sideband prior to transmission, wherein the information comprises a sub-carrier modulated (SCM) signal and a direct component (DC), and wherein the separation gap is introduced through a gap between the SCM signal and the DC;
• and
• a dither signal, wherein the dither signal uniquely identifies the transmitter;
• and
• a multiplexer coupled to the plurality of transmitters, wherein each of the optical signals is centered at a unique wavelength, and wherein the multiplexer is configured to transform the plurality of optical signals into a multiplexed optical signal.

An apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of transmitters, wherein each of the transmitters is configured to generate an optical signal comprising:
• a carrier modulated with at least two sidebands modulated with information, wherein the information introduces a separation gap in a frequency domain between the sidebands and the carrier, wherein one of the sidebands is an undesired sideband and another one of the sidebands is a desired sideband, and wherein the sidebands are unbalanced due to the desired sideband having a higher power intensity than the undesired sideband prior to transmission;
• and
• a dither signal, wherein the dither signal uniquely identifies the transmitter;
• and
• a multiplexer coupled to the plurality of transmitters, wherein each of the optical signals is centered at a unique wavelength, and wherein the multiplexer is configured to transform the plurality of optical signals into a multiplexed optical signal,
• wherein the multiplexer comprises a plurality of passbands corresponding to each of the plurality of optical signals, wherein each of the plurality of passbands comprises a filter response curve,
• wherein the filter response curve comprises a lower amplitude response at a center frequency of the carrier than at a center frequency of the desired sideband, and
• wherein the carrier and the undesired sideband are suppressed by the lower amplitude response.

A method comprising:

• receiving an optical carrier from a light source;
• modulating the optical carrier with at least two sidebands modulated with information, wherein the information introduces a separation gap in a frequency domain between the sidebands and the optical carrier, wherein one of the sidebands is an undesired sideband and one of the sidebands is a desired sideband, and wherein the sidebands are unbalanced due to the desired sideband having a higher power intensity than the undesired sideband prior to transmission;
• suppressing the carrier with an optical filter prior to the transmission;
• generating a wavelength locking signal based upon samples of the optical signal taken before and after the optical filter;
• and
• locking a wavelength of the light source based upon the wavelength locking signal.