Abstract: The optical fiber holder of the coupling device has a top, a bottom, and narrow side faces between the top and the bottom. Intermediate faces are formed at the transitions between the narrow side faces and the top and the bottom. A receptacle into which the holder is inserted axially has internal contact areas which are in contact with the intermediate faces without play.

Abstract: The present invention provides a two-dimensional photonic crystal optical resonator and reflector having high light-extracting efficiency. A two-dimensional photonic crystal consisting of a slab-shaped body is created by periodically arranging holes having a refractive index different from that of the body. A waveguide is formed by providing a linear zone where no hole is bored. Two acceptor type point defects are formed by enlarging two holes spaced apart from each other by a distance L in the longitudinal direction of the waveguide. An appropriate selection of the distance L suppresses or increases the reflection and transmission of light at the point defects, allowing an efficient extraction of light resonating at the point defects. This allows the body to be used as an optical resonator for producing a resonance of light between the two point defects or optical reflector for reflecting light at the two point defects.

Abstract: A system and method for control messaging in an optical network is provided. A provisioning data path for the transmission of provisioning data to an Operations, Administration, Maintenance, and Provisioning (OAM&P) subsystem is provided within a prefabricated cable When the prefabricated cable is placed in the system during the provisioning process, provisioning information is transmitted to the OAM&P subsystem over the provisioning data path and a cross-connector. Later the same path may be used to transmit data regarding the logical provisioning of the connection.

Abstract: Novel architectures of optical switches and N×N cross bar optical switches are disclosed. In one embodiment, an optical switch includes: (1) a primary refracting body having a total internal reflecting surface and capable of transmitting optical energy therethrough, (2) a frustrating refracting body having a frustrating surface located proximate the total internal reflecting surface and (3) an actuator, coupled to the primary refracting body and the frustrating refracting body, that drives at least a center portion of the frustrating refracting body thereby to frustrate a reflection of the total internal reflecting surface.

Abstract: Techniques and systems for monitoring a difference between the frequency of a laser and a resonance of a birefringent optical resonator. A feedback control loop may be used to lock the laser to the resonator, or alternatively, to lock the optical resonator to the laser.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for orienting a light source with individual or bundled, single- or multi-mode optical fibers so that the light source projects an efficient projection and/or an optimal projection toward at least one optical fiber.

Abstract: By limiting the ranges of the numerical values of a plurality of structural parameters of a dispersion compensating optical fiber which is endowed with a segmented W-shaped refractive index profile, and by suitably combining these structural parameters, it is possible to obtain a dispersion compensating optical fiber which can compensate both for chromatic dispersion and also for dispersion slope of a single mode optical fiber for transmission over a wide wavelength band which is selected from the range from 1.53 &mgr;m to 1.63 &mgr;m, and for which the value of Aeff is large, and moreover the absolute value of chromatic dispersion is large. As a result desirable transmission characteristics are obtained by being able to suppress the occurrence of nonlinearity effects, and furthermore, since the length which is required is short, the cost is low, and it is possible to produce a module which is small in size.

Abstract: An underwater connector has a plug and a receptacle unit each having an internal chamber in which a respective contact module is located. Each module has an end face having contacts for engagement with corresponding contacts on the other module when the units are releasably mated together. Each chamber has a resilient forward end with an opening communicating with the respective chamber, and an actuator in each unit compresses the forward end to seal the opening when the units are unmated. As the units are mated, the actuator in one unit is urged rearwardly and the forward end of the chamber in the other unit is urged rearwardly, such that each end opens to permit the module of one unit to pass into the chamber of the other unit, and into engagement with the other module so that all contacts are engaged for communication between the units.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of stabilizing managed optical solitons propagating in a dispersion-managed optical fiber transmission line, said method being characterized in that the following are performed periodically along the transmission line for each managed optical soliton: a first step consisting in establishing coupling that is substantially linear between the energy and the spectrum width of the optical soliton; and a second step consisting in setting the spectrum width by filtering, and, by means of the substantially linear coupling, in setting the energy of the soliton resulting from the first step, the center frequency of the filtering being substantially equal to the center frequency of the optical soliton.

Abstract: An optical routing element (ORE) that can be incorporated into a variety of configurations, to provide the basis for such devices as crossbar switches, wavelength division multiplexers, and add/drop multiplexers. The ORE includes first, second, and third waveguide segments. The first and second waveguide segments extend along a common axis, and are separated by a routing region. The third waveguide segment extends from the routing region at a non-zero angle with respect to the common axis. The routing region is occupied by a selectively reflecting element that selectively reflects light based on a state of the element or a property of the light. The selectively reflecting element may be a thermal expansion element (TEE) or a wavelength-selective filter. A TEE has a body of material having contracted and expanded states at respective first and second temperatures.

Abstract: Disclosed is a single mode optical waveguide fiber having a segmented core. The relative indexes, the refractive index profiles and the radii of the segments are chosen to provide waveguide fiber properties advantageously used in severe environments, such as, undersea cables. The segmented core waveguide fiber has a negative total dispersion over the operating window of about 1530 nm to 1570 nm, which serves to eliminate soliton formation. The key properties of dispersion zero, cut off wavelength, attenuation, and bend resistance fall within desired ranges. The waveguide also features a low polarization mode dispersion.

Abstract: An optical signal switching apparatus that maintains an optical switch to a specified state even when noise is generated during the turning on and/or off of power to an optical switch control unit which controls the optical switch. The optical switch control unit includes an optical switch driving unit, a power supply and a power supply surveillance unit. When a specified condition of the power supply is not satisfied, a control signal is generated by the power supply surveillance unit. Upon detection of the control signal the optical switch driving unit, fixes the state of the optical switch to a previously set state without regard to the input to the optical switch driving unit.

Abstract: A bend limiter/strain reliever is provided for maintaining optical fiber bend limits at exit portals of a optic fiber closure for the closure's entire range of motion, from being fully closed to being fully open. Bend limits are maintained as optical fiber is directed on paths through a closure exit portal between the closure interior and wire brackets on the closure exterior. Fibers are retained, organized and strain relieved by the bend limiter/strain reliever such that directed fiber is maintain at a minimum bend radius on such fiber paths. The curved surface of the bend limiter/strain reliever allows the closure to be accessed without excessive bending of so routed optical fibers. In this manner, optical signal degradation and/or total loss is avoided by limiting the bending of routed optical fiber to radii in excess of a predetermined minimum bend radius.

Abstract: An angled Bragg grating optical waveguide section adjusts the spectral response of a transmission filter in an optical waveguide or in an optical fiber. To smooth the response of the filter, which is subject to modulation due to coupling to the various cladding modes, the pitch of the Bragg grating is caused to vary in a linear fashion along the length of the filter. To adapt the attenuation band to a required band, the cladding of the optical fiber is doped with a photosensitive material so that the grating is also formed in the cladding. The photosensitivity of the cladding is advantageously greater than that of the core, in a ratio in the order of 5:1.

Abstract: An acoustic impedance-matching transformer includes a tapered acoustic energy transmission (metal) block, having an acoustic impedance less than that of a piezo-electric transducer in a metric direction toward that of the acoustic propagation medium of the waveguide, and by an amount that allows tailoring of the relative spatial dimensions of mating surfaces of the transducer and the block, so as to provide efficient broadband coupling of acoustic energy. The surface area of the end face of the block engaging the transducer is a corresponding fraction of the area of the transducer. The tapered block focuses acoustic energy toward the input aperture of the waveguide channel. The taper is determined in accordance with difference between the acoustic impedance of the aluminum block and that of a second acoustic wave propagation element, such as a quarter-wave section of plexiglass, interposed between the waveguide channel and the tapered block.

Abstract: An underwater connector has mateable plug and receptacle units each containing a member having an internal chamber enclosing a contact element when the units are unmated. The members each have a resilient forward end portion with an opening communicating with the chamber, and a forward end face in sealing engagement with the corresponding end face of the other member to provide a seal when the units are mated. An actuator in each unit compresses the forward end portion of each member to close and seal the opening, and the arrangement is such that the forward end portions move away from the actuators and open as the units are mated, to permit one contact element to pass into the member of the other unit for connection to the other contact element. The forward end portions of the members are self-sealing in both the mated and unmated condition, requiring no additional seal elements.

Abstract: A refractive-index grating fabricated in an optical fiber having a multilayer coating and a method for making refractive-index patterns such as gratings in optical fibers such that the mechanical properties of the original fiber are preserved. The patterns are written into the optical fiber by partially stripping away the outer coating of the fiber, exposing the core of the fiber through the remainder of the coating with an actinic radiation to form the pattern in the photosensitive core of the fiber, followed by recoating the fiber in the stripped area to provide protection of the newly formed pattern from corruption and to preserve the mechanical properties of the fiber.

Abstract: A general multi-function optical filter for future smart, high density wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) communication and network system applications using a Michelson-GT interferometer (MGTI) is invented. MGTI filter is a typical Michelson interferometer in which one of its reflecting mirrors is replaced by Gires-Toumois resonator (GTR). One unique feature of this device is that it can function as channel passing, channel dropping and wide bandpass filters depending on the interferometer arm length difference. The output of these functions is available in a single port. Other interesting features of this element are (1) that linewidths of both channel dropping and channel passing filters are twice as narrow compared with typical Fabry-Perot filter having similar parameters, (2) that visibility of the output for three functions is always unity regardless of the mirror reflectance value, and (3) that bandpass filter has an excellent, near-perfect, box-like response function.

Abstract: An integrated optical circuit formed on an optically conductive substrate having light absorbing means comprising one or more doped areas (1) of the substrate where the doping concentration is greater than that of areas of the substrate forming the optical circuit (2) to absorb stray light in the substrate which is not guided by components of the optical circuit.

Abstract: A splice mount and method of making a splice mount having improved structural integrity for telecommunications applications. The splice mount is formed by a two-directional molding process so that resilient holding pockets are separated into groups and remain interconnected to each other by a continuous strip. The continuous strip increases the structural integrity of the splice mount relative to prior art splice mounts.