Abstract: A host adaptor is configured to monitor operation of an optoelectronic transceiver. The host adapter includes a transceiver interface, memory, comparison logic and a host interface. The transceiver interface receives from the optoelectronic transceiver digital values corresponding to operating conditions of the optoelectronic transceiver. The memory includes one or more memory arrays for storing information related to the optoelectronic transceiver, including the digital values received from the optoelectronic transceiver. The comparison logic is configured to compare the digital values with limit values to generate flag values, wherein the flag values are stored in predefined flag storage locations within the memory during operation of the optoelectronic transceiver. The host interface enables a host device to read from host specified locations within the memory, including the predefined flag storage locations, in accordance with commands received from the host device.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical cross-connect device for communication between first and second optical networks communicating with each other using forward and backward optical signals each including of a plurality of channels. The device includes a first circulating part having first through fourth ports configured to output an optical signal, which is input to a higher-order port thereof, from a lower-order port thereof arranged adjacent to the higher-order port. The first circulating part is connected at the first and third ports thereof to a first optical network. A second circulating part has first through fourth ports configured to output an optical signal, which is input to a higher-order port thereof, from a lower-order port thereof arranged adjacent to the higher-order port.

Abstract: Disclosed is a wavelength division multiplexed passive optical network (WDM PON) system including a central office, a remote Node, and an optical fiber coupled between the central office and the remote node, wherein the central office includes an optical power splitter coupled to the optical fiber, wherein the optical power splitter (1) divides an upstream optical signal from the optical fiber into a plurality of upstream optical signals having substantially similar power and (2) outputs downstream optical signals to the optical fiber, and a plurality of optical transceiver modules to (1) receive the plurality of upstream optical signals, and (2) output the downstream optical signals to the optical power splitter, and wherein at least one of the optical transceiver modules having an optical transmitter including a semiconductor optical amplifier and a reflection-type optical fiber grating located at a predetermined distance from the semiconductor optical amplifier, the optical transmitter transmitting light o

Abstract: A communication system employs quantum entanglement by projecting photons through a nonlinear crystal. Some become parametrically down-converted into signal and idler photon pairs. The signal photons are projected to a receiver and the idler photons to a transmitter. The transmitter operator can alter the time width and a majority of the center wavelengths of the idler photons via a collapse event in the transmitter. Because of quantum entanglement, a corresponding change in the time width and center wavelengths of the signal photons as received at the receiver results. The purposeful causation of the collapse event or a lack of such purposeful causation can be used for binary communication. In addition, the sensing of an atmospheric condition may be performed by equating changes in received signal photon characteristics with changes in collapse conditions in the atmosphere.

Abstract: An optical switch router performs both optical switching and traditional routing. The optical switch router includes optical interfaces for coupling to one or more incoming optical fibers and to one or more outgoing optical fibers, and also includes a number of traditional router ports. Individual incoming optical data streams received over the incoming optical fiber(s) can be selectively passed through to one or more of the outgoing optical fibers or “dropped” from the optical communication path for traditional routing. Routed traffic, which can be received over the router ports or from the “dropped” optical data streams, can be forwarded over optical data streams that are “added” to the outgoing optical fiber(s). The “added” optical data streams may be added to the outgoing optical fiber(s) at any unused wavelengths, including, but not limited to, the wavelengths of the “dropped” optical data streams.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of processing an optical signal, including the steps of (a) inputting signal light into a first nonlinear optical medium to broaden the spectrum of the signal light through self phase modulation occurring in the first nonlinear optical medium, thereby obtaining first spectrally broadened light, (b) compensating for chromatic dispersion effected on the first spectrally broadened light obtained in the step (a), and (c) inputting the first spectrally broadened light processed by the step (b) into a second nonlinear optical medium to broaden the spectrum of the first spectrally broadened light through self phase modulation occurring in the second nonlinear optical medium, thereby obtaining second spectrally broadened light.

Abstract: An optical duobinary transmitter. The transmitter uses a half-rate precoder, half-rate non-linear modulation drive circuits and a multiplex modulator for generating duobinary modulation on an optical signal from which full-rate data can be detected without decoding. The intensity of the optical signal is modulated to be zero between data symbols.

Abstract: A method for assigning a predetermined wavelength between two different nodes in a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) ring communication network that has an N number of nodes and at least one pair of optical fibers sequentially connecting the N number of nodes is disclosed. A matrix is formed by an algorithm representing optical-path configuration and wavelength assignment for nodes representing three cases: (1) when the number of nodes is an even number; (2) when the number of nodes is increased; and (3) for recovery from network-cut failures.

Abstract: An optical transmitter for generating an optical signal includes: a precoder for coding an electrical signal of binary data; a continuous-wave (CW) light source for generating a continuous wave light; an optical phase modulator for modulating the phase of an optical signal outputted from the CW light source according to an electrical signal outputted from the precoder; a birefrigent material for bi-refracting a signal outputted from the optical phase modulator and for outputting the bi-refracted signal; and a polarizer for permitting only optical signals of a specific polarization direction to transmit therethrough when optical signals outputted from the birefrigent material are applied.

Abstract: An apparatus and system are provided for delivering communication services such as video, data and telephony services to individual residential units. According to one embodiment, an optical network terminal (ONT) for providing communication services to a single residential unit comprises a passive optical network interface (PI) circuit, a residential service interface (RSI) circuit, and a power unit. The PI circuit receives optical signals from an optical fiber and transmits optical signals onto the optical fiber. The PI circuit is adapted to convert received optical signals containing voice information to electrical voice ATM cells, received optical signals containing data information to electrical data ATM cells, and received optical signals containing video signals to electrical video signals.

Abstract: A communication system includes a plurality of nodes and a plurality of point-to-point links that interconnect the plurality of nodes into a network. Each node includes an optical switch to controllably route a plurality of in-ports of the optical switch into a plurality of out-ports of the optical switch. Each point-to-point link includes a free space optical channel. A first free space optical channel couples to a first node through a receive path and through a transmit path. The receive path couples to a respective in-port of the optical switch of the first node, and the transmit path couples to a respective out-port of the optical switch of the first node. In an alternative embodiment, a communication hub includes a plurality of neighborhood links to corresponding users, an optical switch coupled to the plurality of neighborhood links, and a trunk coupled between the optical switch and a free space optical channel link to the network.

Abstract: A time division multiplexing (TDM) facility is presented for time division multiplexing at least two inter-system channel (ISC) data streams to create a TDM multiplexed data stream. The TDM multiplexed data stream can be forwarded across the network over a single wavelength of a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) network. The TDM multiplex data stream may be wavelength division multiplexed with one or more other TDM multiplexed data stream. Different protocols are presented for maintaining disparity balance within the ISC data streams depending upon whether a given sequence in one of the data streams is an idle sequence, frame sequence or continuous sequence.

Abstract: A passive optical network. The optical network has an optical fiber ring with ends terminating at an optical line terminal. The optical line terminal transmits signals through the fiber ring to optical network units passively connected to the fiber ring. The optical network units receive signals from the optical line terminal through the fiber ring. In one embodiment, the optical line terminal transmits redundant signals in opposite directions through the fiber ring and the optical network units receive the redundant signals from opposite directions through the fiber ring. In another embodiment, the optical network units receive TDM signals from and transmit TDMA signals to the optical line terminal through a fiber line. A first WDM coupler passively connected to the fiber line multiplexes an overlay signal with at least one of the TDM signals and the TDMA signals for transmission through the fiber line. The overlay signal has a wavelength different than the signals with which it is multiplexed.

Abstract: An optical transmitter for an optical fiber transmission system is described. The optical transmitter includes an optical source that generates an optical signal having a wavelength at an output. An optical intensity modulator modulates the optical signal with an electrical modulation signal to generate a modulated optical signal at an output. At least one parameter of the optical intensity modulator is chosen to suppress at least one of phase and sideband information in the modulated optical signal. An optical fiber is coupled to the output of the optical intensity modulator. The suppression of the at least one of the phase and the sideband information in the modulated optical signal increases an effective modal bandwidth of the optical fiber.

Abstract: The delay setting of an optical delay line interferometer (DLI) used to decode differentially encoded phase shift keyed signals (DPSK or DQPSK) is controlled using a control signal representative of the ratio Perr2/Perr1 of the rate of occurrence of double errors and the rate of occurrence of errors. The ratio Perr2/Perr1, as the delay setting of the DLI is varied, exhibits a characteristic W-shaped structure consisting of a local maximum at the optimum value and two minima adjacent to the maximum, one on each side of it. This structure is present over a wide range of signal to noise ratio and residual dispersion.

Abstract: An optical network may be configured dynamically so that a given channel wavelength can operate in either direction over a fiber in a network. Thus, network providers can provision bandwidth according to the traffic characteristics of the network link in question. A plurality of transceiver modules on either side of a fiber may be switched from a transmit mode to a receive mode depending on the desired direction of the channel.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a system and method for an optical communication system that utilizes an optical modulator as an optical correlator in a receiver. The present invention may be used as a correlator in a receiver for an On-Off Keying (OOK) system or for a Differential Phase Shift Keying (DPSK) system. A correlation modulator is followed by a low pass filter, which together act as a correlator to determine the correlation of the received waveform with possible transmitted waveforms to produce a maximized signal-noise ratio. The result is a high data rate communication system and method that approaches the theoretical performance limit.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for supporting operations and maintenance (“OAM”) functionality in an OBS network is described. One embodiment is an OBS network having OAM functionality, the OBS network comprising a plurality of OBS nodes interconnected via links. Each of the OBS nodes comprises an OAM module (“OAMM”) for processing information regarding OAM functions in the OBS network and a routing manager (“RM”) for processing routing information; and wherein at least one wavelength in each of the links comprises an OAM/1 wavelength for OAM/1 transmissions between nodes, the OAM/1 transmissions comprising OAM activity information; wherein at least one wavelength in each of the links comprises a reference wavelength for providing a wavelength reference to which light generating devices in the OBS network lock; and wherein at least one wavelength in each of the links comprises a routing wavelength for providing routing information between nodes.

Abstract: A method is provided for seamless migration from a scaleable optical add/drop multiplexer to a network switching node in an optical transport network. The method includes: providing a pre-deployed optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM) at a network node in the optical transport network; introducing an additional optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM) at the network node; and interconnecting the pre-deployed OADM to the additional OADM using a photonic cross-connect switch, where the photonic cross-connect switch is operable to route optical signals amongst the optical transport lines connected to the pre-deployed OADM and the upgraded OADM.

Abstract: An optical transmitter that determines and controls the extinction ratio of an optical signal by modulating the duty cycle of the optical signal. The transmitter obtains a signal from the monitor circuit that represents optical power emitted by the electro-optic transducer during normal conditions in which the duty cycle of the optical signal is between a bias high and bias low modulation condition. The transmitter also obtains a signal from the monitor circuit that represents optical power emitted during the bias high modulation condition in which the time at the optical high power level in the eye diagram is greater. Also, the transmitter obtains a signal that represents optical power emitted by the electro-optic transducer during the bias low modulation condition in which the time at the optical low power level in the eye diagram is greater. Based on these signals, the transmitter then derives the extinction ratio.