ECE4043 Optical communications
Faculty of Engineering
ECE4043 Optical communications is a level 4, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Engineering, offered in 2024 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It needs ECE3141.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2024
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2024 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ECE4043
Prerequisites
Pass these before you enrol.
After ECE4043
No unit lists ECE4043 as a prerequisite in the 2024 handbook.
Overview
Optical communication systems are the backbone of the internet and the connected services we rely on every day. This family of technologies powers everything from data centres training the latest AI models to the undersea cables that interconnect our planet.
This unit divides industry-standard optical systems into their key building blocks and explores how each of these blocks works so that we can maximise their performance. The components introduced as blocks include lasers and lightwave sources, optical modulators, optical fibres, optical amplifiers, filters, multiplexers, photodiodes and optical receivers. Techniques including signal processing, performance measurement and compensation are also introduced.
The utility of optical systems over the widely different scales of communication links is explored, with reference to data centres, metropolitan networks and long-haul transcontinental links. This unit culminates in an opportunity to apply this knowledge to analyse and design a long-haul optical communications system typical of an Australian commercial application.
This unit forms part of the "Telecommunications infrastructure" minor but can be taken as a stand-alone unit.
Offerings in 2024
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Laboratory reportsThreshold hurdle25%
- Mid-semester testThreshold hurdle10%
- Flux in workshopsThreshold hurdle5%
- Final assessmentThreshold hurdle60%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Analyse the key components of optical communication systems, including fibre, transceivers and amplifiers to predict optical link performance metrics.
- 2
Discuss the physical phenomena that determine the performance of optical components, in order to optimise system designs.
- 3
Use simulation tools (digital twins) to predict the performance of high-bandwidth optical links and identify key design parameters.
- 4
Appraise state-of-the-art optical technologies for their suitability for incorporation into links for short-, medium- and long-haul applications.
- 5
Design a long-haul communication link to meet a commercial brief, leveraging signal processing techniques and industry standards.
Workload and teaching
- Laboratories22 hours
- Workshops24 hours
- Teaching approachEnquiry-based learning
- Teaching approachSimulation or virtual practice
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-6 hours of scheduled learning activities and 6-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.
Laboratory-based classes: The laboratory session allow for problem-based learning with an element of enquiry-based approaches. They allow students to work on their skills in analysis. Model systems will help students identify key problem-solving approaches to the design and implementation of optical communication systems.
The design task in the latter weeks of the course provides a more open, enquiry-based learning approach, focused on a real-world problem of designing a long-haul optical fibre link in an Australian context. This task approximates the kind of project one might encounter working in optical communications.
The practical classes are an opportunity for problem-based learning, taking the concepts from the lectures and providing concrete examples of their application.
Learning resources
Required resources
An engineering-approved calculator for invigilated exams
Recommended resources
Access to textbooks for the course, most of which come in an eBook format
Technology resources
Access to a device that can run the Monash Virtual Environment (MoVE)
Where it fits
ECE4043 is part of 2 areas of study in the 2024 handbook.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Professor Arthur Lowery
- Chief Examiners
- Professor Arthur Lowery
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ECE4043?
You need ECE3141 before you enrol.
When is ECE4043 offered?
In 2024, ECE4043 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
How much work is ECE4043?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ECE4043 have an exam?
No. ECE4043 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include ECE4043?
ECE4043 is part of Electrical and computer systems engineering; and Telecommunications infrastructure.