Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe methods for reducing guided acoustic wave Brillouin (GAWBS) noise in an optical fiber that may be included in an optical communications system by reducing the polarization diffusion length of the fiber by increasing the birefringence of the optical fiber, the increased birefringence of the optical fiber being increased with respect to its average magnitude. Additionally, the polarization diffusion length is reduced by reducing the coherence length of birefringence of the optical fiber.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe a three-way branching unit switch module having a small footprint suitable for application in an undersea application.

Abstract: Earthquake detection via fiber sensing is provided using using a supervisory path of submarine cables wherein the supervisory system/path of a submarine optical cable conveys portion(s) of an optical signal back to an origin location periodically—i.e., at every repeater location. Advantageously, since it is known where a returning signal is coming from, a resolution equivalent to an undersea span length may be determined—which is sufficient for wide area disturbances such as earthquakes. The returned signal is sufficiently strong such that the signal-to-noise ratio of a returned/received signal is not limited by the ASE noise of the amplifiers. The returned signal is much larger as compared to a normal distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) return signal since the return signal according to aspects of the present disclosure is directed backward via an optical coupler/reflector/circulator having a much larger coupling ratio as compared to normal Rayleigh back scattering utilized in DAS.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe a method for estimating mode field distribution in optical fibers from guided acoustic-wave Brillouin scattering wherein light for which the optical mode-field distribution is determined remains in the optical fibers and the distribution is made for light inside the fiber, and not at a fiber/air interface or other perturbation points to the fiber resulting in a more accurate representation of the optical mode-field distribution in the fiber. Since light is always in the fiber during the determination, no complicated fiber preparation steps or procedures are required and the mode-field distribution is determined as an average distribution along the length of the fiber under test.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe methods for reducing guided acoustic wave Brillouin (GAWBS) noise in an optical fiber that may be included in an optical communications system by reducing the polarization diffusion length of the fiber by increasing the birefringence of the optical fiber, the increased birefringence of the optical fiber being increased with respect to its average magnitude. Additionally, the polarization diffusion length is reduced by reducing the coherence length of birefringence of the optical fiber.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to systems, methods, and structures providing for the accurate measurement of guided acoustic-wave Brillouin scattering in optical fiber transmission systems and facilities.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe estimating/measuring core-cladding concentricity error in optical fibers. In sharp contrast to the prior art, our inventive method is based on measuring a seemingly unrelated property of fibers called guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering (GAWBS). As we shall show and describe, by analyzing this GAWBS property we advantageously determine what level of CCCE is exhibited by the optical fiber.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods. and structures directed to an integrated 3-way branching unit switch module suitable for undersea application.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods. and structures in which guided acoustic Brillouin (GAWBS) noise is measured using a homodyne measurement technique and demonstrated using a number of optical fibers, such fibers being commonly used in contemporary optical communications systems. The measurements are made with single spans and determined to be consistent with separate multi-span long-distance measurements. Additionally, a technique for preparing an optical fiber exhibiting superior GAWBS noise characteristics by reducing coherence length of the optical fiber by spinning the fiber at a high rate during the drawing process such that birefringence coherence length is reduced.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) systems, methods, and structures that advantageously overcome problems encountered when operating DFOS systems over operational telecommunications facilities namely, cross-phase modulation, and uneven amplitude profiles through the use of a novel constant amplitude coded DFOS employing out-of-band signaling.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe a three-way branching unit switch module having a small footprint suitable for application in an undersea application.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe a method for digital coherent transmission systems that advantageously provides low-complexity, single-step nonlinearity compensation based on artificial intelligence (AI) implemented in a deep neuron network (DNN).

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe a method for estimating mode field distribution in optical fibers from guided acoustic-wave Brillouin scattering wherein light for which the optical mode-field distribution is determined remains in the optical fibers and the distribution is made for light inside the fiber, and not at a fiber/air interface or other perturbation points to the fiber resulting in a more accurate representation of the optical mode-field distribution in the fiber. Since light is always in the fiber during the determination, no complicated fiber preparation steps or procedures are required and the mode-field distribution is determined as an average distribution along the length of the fiber under test.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to laser interferometric systems, methods, and structures exhibiting superior laser phase noise tolerance particularly in seismic detection applications wherein laser requirements are advantageously relaxed by employing a novel configuration wherein the same laser which generates an outgoing signal is coherently detected using the same laser as local oscillator and fiber turnarounds are employed that result in the cancellation and/or mitigation of undesired mechanical vibration.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to alternative repeater design(s) that advantageously improve signal-to-noise of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) systems using coherent detection of Rayleigh backscatter in multi-span links including inline amplification that may be employed—for example—in undersea submarine systems. The repeater designs incorporate Rayleigh combine units (RCU) and Rayleigh drop units (RDU) to reduce Rayleigh backscatter loss as Rayleigh signal(s) is/are routed to a link that propagates the backscatter signal in an opposite direction relative to interrogation pulse(s).

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods, and structures for high speed frequency hopping distributed acoustic sensing using an acousto-optic modulated (AOM), gated re-circulating loop and a frequency shifted receiver local oscillator. Using the re-circulating loop controlled by the AOM to generate frequency-hopping pulse(s) increases DAS acoustic bandwidth overcomes infirmities exhibited in the art that generate multiple frequency patterns that are not suitable for long-distance DAS. Additionally, by employing frequency shifted local oscillator (LO) with asymmetric in band detection, bandwidth requirements are reduced by one half.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) systems, methods, and structures that advantageously overcome problems encountered when operating DFOS systems over operational telecommunications facilities namely, cross-phase modulation, and uneven amplitude profiles through the use of a novel constant amplitude coded DFOS employing out-of-band signaling.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe optical transmission systems exhibiting low complexity fiber nonlinearity compensation provided by neural networks using lookup tables for multiplication operations.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods, and structures that advantageously amplify optical signals through the effect of optical pump signals generated by a multicore laser diode and multicore rare-earth doped optical fiber in optical communication with a 3D waveguide structure and a multicore input signal fiber providing a plurality of optical signals for amplification.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods and structures for providing semiconductor amplifiers exhibiting a low polarization-dependent gain.