Nowadays, nature–inspired metaheuristic algorithms are most powerful optimizing algorithms for solving the NP–complete problems. This paper proposes three approaches to find near–optimal Golomb ruler sequences based on nature–inspired algorithms in a reasonable time. The optimal Golomb ruler (OGR) sequences found their application in channel–allocation method that allows suppression of the crosstalk due to four–wave mixing in optical wavelength division multiplexing systems. The simulation results...