Abstract: A system and method for in-service optical dispersion determination are provided. Optical dispersion is determined by splitting a first optical signal into two components, introducing a time delay between the two components such that corresponding pulses of the two components partially overlap, combining the two components to generate a combined optical signal comprising a first component and a second component, determining power of the combined optical signal while applying a plurality of dispersion compensation values, in order to determine a dispersion compensation value that results in a minimum detected power of the combined optical signal. Polarization Mode Dispersion is determined by adjusting the time delay that is introduced until the power of the combined optical signal is substantially equal for all of the plurality of dispersion compensation values.

Abstract: A system and method for in-service optical dispersion determination are provided. Optical dispersion is determined by splitting a first optical signal into two components, introducing a time delay between the two components such that corresponding pulses of the two components partially overlap, combining the two components to generate a combined optical signal comprising a first component and a second component, determining power of the combined optical signal while applying a plurality of dispersion compensation values, in order to determine a dispersion compensation value that results in a minimum detected power of the combined optical signal. Polarization Mode Dispersion is determined by adjusting the time delay that is introduced until the power of the combined optical signal is substantially equal for all of the plurality of dispersion compensation values.

Abstract: A system and method for in-service optical dispersion determination are provided. Optical dispersion is determined by splitting a first optical signal into two components, introducing a time delay between the two components such that corresponding pulses of the two components partially overlap, combining the two components to generate a combined optical signal comprising a first component and a second component, determining power of the combined optical signal while applying a plurality of dispersion compensation values, in order to determine a dispersion compensation value that results in a minimum detected power of the combined optical signal. Polarization Mode Dispersion is determined by adjusting the time delay that is introduced until the power of the combined optical signal is substantially equal for all of the plurality of dispersion compensation values.

Abstract: A dynamic dispersion compensation system and method are provided. The method dynamically compensates for dispersion in an optical signal by recovering a first clock and a second clock from a first polarization component and a second polarization component of the optical signal respectively, determining a delay time between the first clock and the second clock, determining the dispersion based on the delay time and dynamically compensating for the determined dispersion. The system comprises a polarization beam splitter, a clock recoverer, a dispersion determiner and a tunable dispersion compensation module and is operable to dynamically compensate for the dispersion in an optical signal.

Abstract: An optical protection switch and a method for optical protection switching are provided. The optical protection switch includes a loop mirror-based optical switch with two circulators and a direction-dependent phase shifter in the loop mirror. The direction-dependent phase shifter introduces phase shifts in counter-propagating optical signals in the loop mirror such that either one of a first optical signal and a second optical signal are switched as an output optical signal. The direction-dependent phase shifter is controlled by a controller which initiates switching from the first optical signal to the second optical signal if a drop in power level is detected in the first optical signal and a corresponding drop in power level is not detected in the second optical signal and vice versa.