Before digital modulation can occur in an optical transmitter, what process must take place?

For digital modulation to occur in an optical transmitter, the data must first be encoded. Encoding is the process of converting the original data into a format suitable for transmission. This typically involves converting information from its raw form into a specific representation that can effectively utilize the available bandwidth and ensure efficient signal transmission.

The encoding process serves multiple purposes, including optimizing the signal for better integrity during transmission, facilitating easier detection and interpretation at the receiving end, and minimizing errors caused by noise and interference. This ensures that the data remains recognizable and intact once it reaches the destination.

While compression, alignment, and synchronization are important in various contexts of data transmission, they are not precedents for digital modulation itself. Compression might reduce data size for transmission efficiency, alignment may relate to data organization for timing, and synchronization is critical for ensuring that sender and receiver are in agreement regarding timing. However, the initial transformation of data into an encoded format is essential for successful digital modulation within an optical transmitter.