Abstract: An optical communication system includes a gain medium that is capable of receiving at least one optical signal that includes one or more optical signal wavelengths. The system also includes one or more pump sources that are capable of generating at least one pump signal for introduction to the gain medium. The pump signal includes one or more fractional Raman order pump wavelengths having a Raman gain peak that is a non-integer multiple of one stokes shift from each of the one or more optical signal wavelengths. In one particular embodiment, the pump signal interacts with the optical signal as the pump signal traverses at least a portion of the gain medium.

Abstract: An optical communication system includes a plurality of optical add/drop multiplexers (OADMs). The plurality of OADMs includes at least five low distortion OADMs. Each OADM is coupled between spans of a multiple span communication link and operable to receive a multiple wavelength signal. The multiple wavelength signal includes a plurality of bands of wavelength signals each separated from other bands of wavelength signals by one or more guard-channels. In one embodiment, each of the at least five low distortion OADMs adds/drops a common first band of wavelengths to/from the multiple wavelength signal. In some embodiments, a spectral distortion associated with a pass-through wavelength signal spectrally adjacent to one of the one or more guard-channels is no more than three decibels after exiting the last of the plurality of low distortion OADMs. In those embodiments, the guard-channel is adjacent to the first band of wavelengths.

Abstract: In one aspect of the invention, a system operable to reduce degradation of an optical signal to noise ratio where signals having multiple wavelengths are communicated over a common optical link includes an amplifier assembly operable to introduce to a lower communication band a first gain and to introduce to a higher communication band a second gain that is different from the first gain. In addition, the system is operable to introduce a variable gain tilt into at least one of the communication bands. The different gains introduced to the higher and lower bands and the variable gain tilt introduced into at least one of the bands result in a reduction of a degradation of optical signal to noise ratio that could otherwise be caused by wavelength dependent attenuation when the communication bands are combined and communicated over an optical link.

Abstract: In one aspect of the invention, a method of managing one or more optical elements includes storing in a memory, provisioning information describing at least one setting of an optical element and monitored information describing at least one operational characteristic of the optical element. At least a portion of the monitored information is correlated with at least a portion of the provisioning information. The method further includes maintaining in the memory, a correlation history comprising the provisioning information stored over time and the monitored information correlated to that provisioning information.

Abstract: In one aspect of the invention, a system operable to reduce degradation of an optical signal to noise ratio where signals having multiple wavelengths are communicated over a common optical link includes an amplifier assembly operable to introduce to a lower communication band a first gain and to introduce to a higher communication band a second gain that is different from the first gain. In addition, the system is operable to introduce a variable gain tilt into at least one of the communication bands. The different gains introduced to the higher and lower bands and the variable gain tilt introduced into at least one of the bands result in a reduction of a degradation of optical signal to noise ratio that could otherwise be caused by wavelength dependent attenuation when the communication bands are combined and communicated over an optical link.

Abstract: An extract-and-insert optical wavelength division multiplexer includes a broadcaster (D1) for applying an incoming multiplex signal to N outputs, a combiner-diffuser (D2) for broadcasting the multiplex to be inserted (MI) on N outputs, a first set of N tunable filters (FIT, . . . , FNT) for selecting the carriers of the signals which are to be used for modulating the carriers of the outgoing multiplex (MS), a second set of N tunable filters (F1E, . . . , FNE) for selecting the carriers which are to constitute the extracted multiplex (MT), N wavelength converter devices (CL1, . . . , CLN) suitable for supplying N carriers of the outgoing multiplex (MS), and N two-input, two-output optical switches (SW1, . . .

Abstract: An add-drop optical spectrum-division multiplexer for dropping a drop multiplex from an incoming multiplex signal and for adding an add multiplex into an outgoing multiplex signal. The multiplexer includes a demultiplexing device for separating a number of optical carriers from the incoming multiplex signal and for selecting drop carriers which constitute the drop multiplex as well as through carriers which are to be output as the outgoing multiplex signal. The multiplexer further includes an apparatus for selecting a certain number of add carriers from the total number of carriers of the add multiplex, and a coupling device and wavelength converter for allocating fixed wavelengths to the signals which modulate the through carriers and the add carriers.

Abstract: An amplifier having an amplifying optical fiber, the amplifier including means for reducing the optical noise due to amplified spontaneous emission, said means being inserted in the length of the amplifying optical fiber, wherein said means comprise an optical isolator.

Abstract: An optical fiber temperature sensor including an optical fiber (1) which has a mirror (3) at its end, and which is associated with temperature-sensitive means, means for launching a signal into said fiber and means for receiving the signal reflected by said mirror back along the fiber, said temperature-sensitive means being a section of amplifying optical fiber (10) bonded to said optical fiber (1), cooperating with a light pump source, and doped with a chosen rare-earth element.

Abstract: A telecommunications system having erbium-doped fiber optical amplifiers for transmitting signals including at least one signal at a wavelength of about 1550 nm, wherein the amplifiers are fibers whose cores are doped with erbium and germanium and are free from aluminum; and wherein for each of the amplifiers, the length of the fiber and the pumping power which is injected therein are such that the noise generated by the fiber is generally emitted around 1550 nm. As can be seen in FIG. 4 , the signal-to-noise ratio remains satisfactory after 10,000 km of propagation without using an intermediate filter.

Abstract: An optical amplifier in the 1.26 .mu.m to 1.34 .mu.m spectrum range, comprising a solid substrate of fluoride glass doped with praseodymium in which a three-dimensional monomode waveguide is formed having an index difference .DELTA.n relative to the index of the fluoride glass lying in the range 4.times.10.sup.-3 and 8.times.10.sup.-2, said waveguide being associated by coupling means to an optical pump having a wavelength equal to 1.02 .mu.m .+-.0.1 .mu.m.

Abstract: An erbium-doped fiber optical amplifier, characterized in that said fiber has a mode radius which is not greater than 2.7 .mu.m at a wavelength of 1.55 .mu.m, and in that it has at least one pump wavelength situated in the following regions of the spectrum: 0.98 .mu.m.+-.0.4 .mu.m and 1.48 .mu.m.+-.0.4 .mu.m; the region of the spectrum of at least one signal to be amplified being 1.5 .mu.m to 1.6 .mu.m.

Abstract: An optical fiber for frequency conversion, has an annular index profile structure for obtaining zero order phase matching and optimum overlap between the fibers's resonant propagation modes, one propagating the wave w and the other the wave kw where 2.ltoreq.k.ltoreq.4 for at least one wavelength lying in the range 0.4 .mu.m to 2.6 .mu.m, with the index step .delta.n in the ring lying in the range 2.times.10.sup.-2 and 5.times.10.sup.-2, the inside radius r.sub.i of the ring lying in the range 0.5 .mu.m to 1.5 .mu.m, and the outside radius r.sub.e of the ring lying in the range 2 .mu.m to 3.5 .mu.m.

Abstract: An erbium-doped fiber laser amplifier (1), characterized by the fact that said fiber (3) is doped to a concentration lying in the range 5 ppm to 50 ppm, that the length of said fiber lies in the range 250 m to 30 m depending on the selected concentration of doping, and that the radial position of the doped zone substantially coincides with the energy maximum of the set of propagation modes in said fiber at the pumping wavelength.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and to apparatus for remotely measuring the distribution of a physico-chemical parameter in a medium. The method consists in exciting measurement points (20) situated in a medium (17) in succession via an optical fiber (18), with each point (20) being excited by two light pulses of different wavelengths offset from each other in time occurring simultaneously at said point, each measurement point returning radiation at a third wavelength representative of the temperature of the measurement point. The apparatus includes two lasers (3, 4) emitting different wavelengths, a delay circuit (5) for delaying the light pulse from one (4) of the two lasers, and the measurement points include a material sensitive to biphotonic excitation.