Andrew Ellis
Professor of Optical Communications/Deputy Director of the Aston Institute of Photonics Technology (AIPT)
- Birmingham UNITED KINGDOM
Professor Ellis researches optical superchannels and advanced passive optical networks for the delivery of Tbit/s class broadband.
Media
Social
Biography
He is currently 50th anniversary professor of optical communications at Aston University where he is also the Deputy Director of the Institute of Photonics Technologies, and he holds adjunct professorships from University College Cork (Physics) and Dublin City University. He has published more than 200 journal papers and more than 30 patents in the field of photonics, primarily targeted at increasing capacity, reach and functionality in the optical layer. He currently manages projects investigating; optical superchannels for mutli-terabit/s optical transponders, advanced passive optical networks for the delivery of Tbit/s class broadband, and the compoensation of nonlinear effects for the extension of transmission reach.
He is a Life Fellow of the Optical Society of America, and served for 6 years as an Associate Editor of the Journal Optics Express. He was a Member of the Technical Program Committee of ECOC form 2004 to 2018, chairing sub-committee 3 at ECOC devoted to digital and optical signal processing in 2014, and served two three year terms on the TPC of OFC. He has also been TPC member for Photonics Ireland, CLEO Europe, and OECC. He recently participated in the organization of ECOC 2019 as co-chair of the Technical Programme Committee.
Areas of Expertise
Education
Aston University
PhD
Electronic and Electrical Engineering
1997
University of Sussex
BSc
Physics
1987
Minor in Mathematics
Affiliations
- Optical Society of America : Life Fellow
- Institute of Physics : Member
Links
Media Appearances
You may not know this example of translation research, but it will have changed your life . . .
HEPI Blog with Rose Stephenson online
2025-02-19
This blog was written by Rose Stephenson, Director of Policy and Strategy at HEPI, in conversation with Andrew Ellis, Professor at the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies (AiPT).
S1E3: How Can History Help to Provide Viable Solutions?
The Invisible Side of Everyday Devices – Aston Originals online
2024-07-29
In this episode of Bright Past, Brilliant Future, host Dr Brian Sudlow chats with Professor Andrew Ellis, Professor Vladek Forysiak, and Dr Ilaria Scaglia.
Together, they look at how history and photonics have moulded our past and can shape a brighter, more sustainable future.
S1E2: Did someone say crisis?
The Invisible Side of Everyday Devices – Aston Originals online
2024-07-19
In this episode, host Dr Brian Sudlow looks at the world of photonic technologies and the digital revolution with some of the brightest minds in the field.
He is joined by Professor Andrew Ellis, Professor Wladek Forysiak and Dr Ilaria Scaglia as they outline the challenges, and future, of photonic technology.
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Internet
The Royal Society online
2024-07-15
Join us for a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Internet. The event will be opened by the inventor of the Internet Dr Vint Cerf and will feature a of series of panels with eminent speakers that will look back at what the Internet has achieved in the last fifty years and focus on the next generation of the Internet and AI.
S1E1: The Invisible Side of Everyday Devices
The Invisible Side of Everyday Devices – Aston Originals online
2024-07-13
Host Dr Brian Sudlow, a lecturer in history, is joined by experts in the field:
Professor Andrew Ellis, 50th Anniversary Professor of Optical Communications
Professor Wladek Forysiak, Chair in Highly Integrated Coherent Optical Fiber Communications
Dr Ilaria Scaglia, a cultural historian with a special interest in technology.
In this episode, they explore the history and future of photonics, the technology that powers the digital devices we rely on every day.
Internet use could be rationed to prioritise health services and online lessons
The Telegraph online
2020-03-20
Andrew Ellis, a professor of optical communications at Aston University, called for rationing and restrictions on the UK's internet usage in 2015.
Autumn Statement: Industry reacts to Housing Infrastructure Fund
The Planner online
2016-11-23
Aston University’s chair of optical communications Professor Andrew Ellis welcomed the chancellor's announcement that the government will invest £400m in fibre to the premises. This, he said, would go "a long way to tackling the digital divide" in the UK.
Government to invest a billion to boost fibre broadband
Networking+ online
2016-11-25
Professor Andrew Ellis, Aston University’s chair of optical communications, said the Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund was good news but sounded a cautionary noted.
Is the internet almost full? Experts warn web may collapse when it reaches 'capacity in 8 years
Daily Mirror online
2015-05-03
Professor Andrew Ellis, who has co-organised a meeting at London's Royal Society later this month to try to avert the crisis, told the Daily Mail that it would lead to a dramatic increase in costs - and higher bills.
Patents
System and Method for the Transmission of Optical Signals
GB201605120, WO2017162853, JP2019511876, CN109417426, WO2017162853, EP3433951, US20190028200
2017-09-28
A system for transmission of an optical signal, the system including an optical coupler for splitting said signal into a first copy and a second copy. The optical coupler has an input for receiving the optical signal, a first output for the first copy and a second output for the second copy. The system also includes a first optical guide connected to the first output, a second optical guide connected to the second output and a superposition module for coherently superimposing the first copy and the second copy of the signal.
Method of non-linearity compensation in optical fibre communications
WO2015155520, US20170041078, EP3130089, GB201406271, CN106464375, JP2017517925
2015-10-15
A nonlinearity compensation technique for a CO-OFDM transmission system in which a proportion (e.g. up to 50%) of OFDM subcarriers is transmitted along with a phase-conjugate copy (PCP) on another subcarrier (replacing a data carrying subcarrier) to enable nonlinear distortion compensation. Nonlinear distortion experienced by closely spaced subcarriers in an OFDM system is highly correlated.
Method and system for reducing the modal delay in a multimode transmission system
WO2013003863, EP2541809, US20140126915, JP2014526815
2013-01-02
With the continuing growth of demand for bandwidth, fiber optic transmission systems will inherently run into a capacity crunch on single mode fiber. The spectral efficiency of networks to date is practically limited to about 2b/s/Hz. I
Communication systems – Coherent WDM
WO2007043032, EP1943756, US2009074416, JP200951231
2007-04-19
A transmitter transmits signals on multiple channels, and they are wavelength multiplexed according to Coherent WDM. Quality of the received signals is very much enhanced by the transmitter tuning the relative phases of neighbouring channels according to delay characteristics of the optical path. In one example, the transmitter adds a relative delay of ¼ bit period between each data signal and the beat frequency signal for the odd and even channel groups, to counter the receiver side delays introduced by the AMZI.
Dispersion compensation
WO2006131904, US2009208216, EP1889382
2005-06-08
A dispersion compensation system comprises a detector for receiving an optical input signal and a compensator for processing the detector outputs and re-constituting the original signal. The detector generates at least two signals which depend on the instantaneous amplitude and frequency of the distorted signal in different ways, and the compensator electrically processes the detector outputs.
Articles
System calibration for single-wavelength multi-terabit mode-division multiplexing free-space optical communication systems
Optics Express2025
In this paper, we propose a optical calibration strategy to support a single-wavelength mode-division multiplexing multiple-input multiple-output free-space optical communication system utilising 6 Hermite-Gaussian modes. To minimise the inter-mode crosstalk, higher-order modes at the receiver were exploited to calibrate the optical setup. The signal distortions were minimised for 80 GBaud signals by employing Volterra pre-distortion. Probabilistically-shaped 256-QAM signals were transmitted to maximise the achievable information rate. As a result, this system obtained a record-high achievable information rate of 4.49 Tbit/s/λ in free-space optical communications.
Learned Volterra models for nonlinearity equalization in wavelength-division multiplexed systems
Optics Express2025
Multichannel digital equalization has proved capable of mitigating fiber-induced inter-channel impairments which constitute a main limitation in wavelength-division multiplexed systems. In this paper, we present three multiple-input-multiple-output learned equalization architectures based on the inverse Volterra series transfer function (IVSTF): a fully parallel frequency-domain approach (L-IVSTF), a field-enhanced version with improved adaptability (FE L-IVSTF), and a time-domain implementation (L-simIVSTF). We demonstrate that machine-learning optimization enables efficient multichannel equalization for all the structures, with the 9 × 9 L-simIVSTF and FE L-IVSTF equalizers achieving an average signal-to-noise ratio improvement of ∼2.2?dB over chromatic dispersion compensation.
Beaconless auto-alignment for single-wavelength 4.18 Tbit/s mode-division multiplexing free-space optical communications
Journal of Lightwave Technology2025
Mode-division multiplexing has shown its ability to significantly increase the capacity of free-space optical communications. Accurate alignment of transmitter and receiver is crucial in maintaining performance, because a sub-optimal beam alignment will induce modal crosstalk. Conventionally, a beacon beam is necessary for system alignment due to multiple local maximums in the mode-division multiplexed beam profile. However, the beacon beam introduces excess system complexity, power consumption, and alignment errors. Here we demonstrate a beaconless system with significantly higher alignment accuracy and faster acquisition. Besides improving energy efficiency, the beaconless method also simplifies the implementation and calibration of pointing, acquisition, and tracking systems, enabling a record-high achievable information rate of 4.187 Tbit/s in a single-wavelength free-space optical link.
Assessment of Baseline Ultrawidefield Fluorescein Angiographic Quantitative Leakage Parameters with Ultrawidefield Fundus Features and Clinical Parameters in Diabetic Retinopathy in Protocol AA
Ophthalmology Retina2025
Purpose
Evaluate quantitative leakage parameters on ultrawidefield fluorescein angiography (UWF-FA) images and explore their association with Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Scale (DRSS), predominantly peripheral lesions (PPLs), visual acuity, and clinical characteristics.
Design
A post hoc analysis of baseline UWF-FA images in the DRCR Retina Network observational study Protocol AA.
High-efficiency on-chip optical phase conjugation using a single ultralow-loss silicon photonic waveguide
ACS Photonics2025
Optical phase conjugation (OPC) is a pivotal all-optical technique aimed at enhancing the received signal quality by compensating for nonlinear distortions. Integrating the OPC into a CMOS-compatible, highly nonlinear silicon photonic chip holds promise for developing fully integrated transceivers with a compact footprint, low loss, and minimal power consumption. Despite its potential, silicon-based OPC demonstrations have been limited, primarily due to challenges, such as inefficient conjugation and significant losses. In this work, we demonstrate an effective OPC technique utilizing a single passive silicon photonic waveguide spiral.