ABSTRACT
We consider a model nondispersive nonlinear optical fiber channel with an additive Gaussian noise. Using Feynman path-integral technique, we find the optimal input signal distribution maximizing the channel's per-sample mutual information at large signal-to-noise ratio in the intermediate power range. The optimal input signal distribution allows us to improve previously known estimates for the channel capacity. We calculate the output signal entropy, conditional entropy, and per-sample mutual information for Gaussian, half-Gaussian, and modified Gaussian input signal distributions. We demonstrate that in the intermediate power range the capacity (the per-sample mutual information for the optimal input signal distribution) is greater than the per-sample mutual information for half-Gaussian input signal distribution considered previously as the optimal one. We also show that the capacity grows as loglogP in the intermediate power range, where P is the signal power.
