Committee:
Paolo Monti, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden (Subcommittee Chair)
Achim Autenrieth, Adtran Networks SE, Germany
Lidia Galdino, Corning Optical Communications, UK
Jun Li, Soochow University, China
David Millar, Infinera, USA
Hideyuki Nasu, Furukawa Electric, Japan
Luiz Anet Neto, IMT Atlantique, France
Chigo Okonkwo, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Netherlands
Ben Puttnam, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan
Yikai Su, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Dora Van Veen, Nokia Bell Labs, USA
The Demo Zone features live demonstrations of research projects and proof-of-concept implementations related to novel optical communication devices, systems, and networks.
Demonstrations occur in a dedicated booth in the demo zone equipped with a table, a monitor, and a bulletin board. They are shown to small groups, favoring an interactive format with real-time exchanges between attendees and demo presenters. Demonstrations are typically executed on demand and may incorporate a mix of on-site and remote equipment. These could additionally involve recorded videos or live connections to remote hardware or experiments.
Topic Categories
The 2024 OFC Demo Zone showcases various aspects of optical physical layer transmission, hardware, and network orchestration/intelligence. These aspects include, but are not restricted to:
- Automated device alignment or characterization setups;
- Automated measurement setups for high-capacity transmission experiments, including the use of novel optical fibers;
- Systems, sub-systems, and devices for free-space, microwave, or optical fiber transmission and switching;
- Server systems and wide bandwidth optical interconnects for data center and high-performance computing;
- Digital processing sub-systems and sensing;
- Optical access networks, including their convergence with metro transport, wireless access networks, MEC;
- Novel networking elements and concepts, including those supporting time-deterministic and low-latency applications;
- Network virtualization, slicing, software-defined control of networks;
- Programmable networks, including softwarised network functions and programmable hardware;
- Autonomous network management, control, and orchestration;
- Fiber monitoring and sensing, streaming telemetry, and network data analytics;
- Application of AI and ML to optical networks systems and sub-systems;
- Quantum networking, including demonstration of entanglement distribution, implementing advanced QKD applications and quantum protocols.
The chance to showcase technical accomplishments in depth through live demonstrations provides an excellent opportunity for engaging in discussions with participants.
Submission Deadline: 14 November 2023, 12:00 Noon EST (UTC-05:00)
Demo Proposal Submission Method
It is imperative to follow the instructions for preparing demo proposals. Please note that no modifications or revisions will be accepted after the deadline. Proposals for demonstrations must be submitted via the online submission system, with a demo description in PDF format in adherence to the OFC regular paper style guide. Do NOT email, fax, or mail your proposal. A complete electronic submission is due before the published deadline. It should be three pages long and must include the following:
- A 35-word abstract
- An Overview section giving a comprehensive description of the demo's research theme and the technologies being demonstrated.
- An Innovation section describing the problem and the novelty of the demonstrated solution.
- An OFC Relevance section explaining why the OFC audience and community should be interested in this demo.
- A Demo content & implementation section clearly explaining: (i) the objectives and the configuration of the demo, (ii) how the demonstration will be physically set up, including description of equipment to be used; (iii) how the demo will be presented to the attendees, and (iv) how attendees might be able to interact with the demonstration (this last feature is essential to make the session engaging).
When creating a demo proposal, the aim is to showcase an inventive application, functional prototype, or fresh idea within the areas of optical communication, devices, transmissions, systems, and networks.
Please remember that demonstrations should be based on technical achievements and prototypes in a research stage. This means that pre-commercial or product demonstrations are not permitted.
Please ensure that the title of the demo and the primary presenter's name and affiliation are included on the first page, along with the name and affiliation of any additional authors. It is essential to proofread your work before submitting it.
For each selected demo, a rectangular table, two chairs, a power outlet strip (5 outlets), an 8-foot-high x 4-foot-wide (244 cm x 122 cm) bulletin board (as for the poster session), WLAN connectivity (on best effort basis), and dedicated Ethernet line will be provided. Should additional equipment be required (e.g., a large monitor or better network connectivity), this can be supplied as paid service by the OFC AV company subject to individual agreement.
Peer Review
Demo proposals will undergo a selection process conducted by the Demo Zone Subcommittee and Program Chairs.
Submissions will be judged on both the technical content and the suitability of the presentation style to a demo-zone environment. The following are not requirements but recommendations that will be considered in the selection process:
- Prepare the Demo proposal following the sectioning explained above, with particular attention to the Innovation and OFC relevance and Demo implementation & content sections.
- All Demos must have a live demonstration component either in-room or from a remotely connected Lab. Pre-recorded videos and other materials can be used as support/backup material but should not be the primary technical content of the demonstration.
- Demo proposals should avoid overlaps with the regular OFC tracks. A Demo proposal should focus on proof of concept prototyping, showcasing novel feature sets and/or applications rather than focusing on experimental results only, i.e., such papers are better suited for the regular OFC tracks.
- Demonstrations highlighting the use of open platforms, components, and interfaces (e.g., Open Source Software projects) are also preferred.
Publish/Disseminate
All technical information in the demo proposal summary must be approved for public distribution by all controlling organizations before submission. OFC is a public forum for the exchange of information. For all reasonable questions (including technical details), presenters are encouraged to have answers approved for distribution before the presentation. Authors not interested in discussing their work with attendees in a conference setting are encouraged to submit their work to other forums.
If the technical content shown during the demo session significantly deviates from the submitted proposal, OFC maintains the right to decline to publish the demo paper.
Notifications
The authors will be notified of the evaluation decisions on the week of December 18, 2023.
Style Guide
Style guides are provided in various formats to support authors’ needs. Style guides are the same for all Optica managed meetings. Be sure to confirm the page count and paper size requirements for the meeting you are submitting.
IMPORTANT! Please embed all fonts; use standard fonts when possible. Problems may occur if non-English font packages (for example, Japanese, Korean, or Chinese fonts, etc.) are used in the body of your paper summary and all figures and tables. Characters in these fonts cannot be seen by reviewers. In the past, we have had particular trouble with MS-PGothic, MS-Gothic, and MS-Mincho.
If you have any questions regarding the paper preparation process, please contact Optica Technical Papers staff at cstech@optica.org.