Abstract: A method of generating a dark-RZ pulse in an optical communications system with a dual-arm modulator by setting a direct current bias on the modulator to a specific value such that an output optical power from the modulator achieves a maximum value when the RF signals on the first and second arms of the modulator are off and maintaining the direct current bias at the specific value and applying RF signals to the first and second arms of the modulator and delaying one of the RF signals applied to one of the first and second arms relative to the other of the RF signals such that a dark-RZ pulse is generated with a duty cycle based on the delay.

Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a quadrature phase shift keying modulator for generating a non-return-to-zero quadrature phase shift keyed NRZ-QPSK signal from a received lightwave, the modulator being driven by a radio frequency RF signal, an intensity modulator for carving the NRZ-QPSK signal to return-to-zero RZ pulses with a different duty cycle than that of the NRZ-QPSK, the intensity modulator being driven by a radio frequency RF clock signal to change the NRZ-QPSK to an RZ-QPSK signal, and an optical filter with a narrow band for filtering the signal from the intensity modulator to increase optical power that is useable by an optical digital coherent detection system.

Abstract: A polarization multiplexing, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (POMUX) transmission system utilizing direct detection.

Abstract: An optical system for providing all-optical up-conversion of a baseband signal including an all-optical up-converter responsive to baseband signals to provide corresponding dual sideband signals about a suppressed optical carrier, said dual sideband signals each having the same polarization direction, being phase locked, having the same optical power and having a fixed frequency spacing; and an optical filter for filtering the carrier signals and providing wavelength division multiplexed signals without optical carriers.

Abstract: A method includes generating at least two lightwave carriers from a lightwave source, the carriers having a wavelength spacing, creating an up-subchannel and a down-subchannel orthogonal to one another and spaced apart based on the fixed wavelength spacing from modulations of the lightwave carriers according to respective up-converted OFDM signals that are carrier suppressed, and combining one lightwave from the up-subchannel and one lightwave from the down-subchannel into an optical channel for transmission over an optical fiber.

Abstract: A method for generating an optical OFDM signal with reduced optical signal to nose ratio requirement includes separating an up-converted OFDM signal into a first part and a second part out of phase with the first part; driving a modulator with the first and second parts of the of the up-converted OFDM signal; and varying a lightwave with the modulator for generating a carrier suppressed OFDM signal having improved receiver sensitivity.

Abstract: A method includes coupling an optical signal upconverted to a higher frequency and a digital signal having a bit rate similar to that of a subchannel of the upconverted optical signal, and obtaining, responsive to the coupling, a transmission signal with an optical carrier frequency carrying the digital signal and subchannels about the optical carrier frequency carrying the upconverted optical signal, the bit rate of the optical carrier being similar to that of the subchannels. In a preferred embodiment, the coupling includes electrically power coupling the upconverted optical signal with the digital signal, and modulating the coupled optical carrier frequency carrying the digital signal and subchannels about the optical carrier frequency carrying the upconverted optical signal.

Abstract: Data is transmitted by radio over fiber in a wavelength division multiplex optical transmission system. Data is transmitted over a single optical channel by directly modulating a single wavelength laser with a baseband data signal. Multiple single wavelength laser beams are multiplexed into a single multi-wavelength laser beam. All of the single optical channels are up-converted to RF frequencies by modulating the intensity of the multi-wavelength laser beam with an RF carrier.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a first laser source for providing a first lightwave; a first optical coupler that is polarization maintaining for dividing the first lightwave into first and second optical carrier lightwaves; first and second modulators for modulating respective ones of the first and second carrier lightwaves with information; a polarization beam combiner for combining the modulated first and second carrier lightwaves which generates a polarization multiplexing optical signal; second and third lasers for providing second and third lightwaves whose wavelengths are one of both longer than that of the first lightwave and shorter than that of the first lightwave, a second optical coupler that is polarization maintaining for combining the second and third lightwaves; and a third optical coupler for combining the modulated first and second carrier lightwaves from the polarization beam combiner and the combined second and third lightwaves out of the second optical coupler for transmission over an optical medi

Abstract: An optical system and method includes a source-free optical network unit coupled to an optical fiber for receiving a centralized lightwave carrier signal with downstream data over the optical fiber. The optical network unit includes a coupler configured to split the original carrier signal into a first path and a second path. The first path includes an optical filter configured to reduce fading effects of the carrier signal. The second path includes a modulator configured to remodulate the centralized lightwave carrier signal with upstream data to produce an upstream data signal for upstream transmission.

Abstract: A method includes modulating lightwaves to provide first and second OFDM signal sidebands at a first polarization direction and first and second OFDM signal sidebands at a second polarization direction, and combining sidebands that are oppositely positioned and joined from the first and second OFDM signal sidebands at each polarization direction to provide a polarization multiplexing OFDM signal.

Abstract: A storage area network extension, network and method include a storage terminal coupled to a remote node. The remote node is connected to a passive optical network (PON) for transferring data signals in the PON and storage signals to/from the storage terminal by employing subcarrier channels in the PON to enable concurrent bidirectional transfer of the data and the storage signals. A storage area network is coupled to the storage terminal and configured to store and retrieve the storage signals for transfer over the PON.

Abstract: A demodulator and demodulation method includes an optical coupler configured to receive an input signal. The optical coupler couples the signal to an even number of branches. Each branch including at least one interferometer configured to split, combine and interfere with an optical signal from one of within the branch or from another branch. A common optical delay is disposed on one of every two branches between the optical coupler and the interferometer of the branch.

Abstract: A passive optical equalizer and a predistortion technique are employed to reduce pattern effect in optical signals which result from narrow filtering.

Abstract: A method includes generating an optical millimeter wave signal for modulation of a first data signal, and deriving from the generated optical millimeter wave signal a subsequent light source for modulation of a second data signal. More specifically the generating includes modulating a light wave to a multiple of a frequency of an oscillating signal. Alternatively, the generating includes modulating a data signal mixed with an oscillating signal to a multiple of a frequency of the oscillating signal. The deriving includes modulating a frequency component filtered from a data modulation of the generated optical millimeter wave signal.

Abstract: Data is transmitted between a central office and customer premises by a wavelength division multiplex passive optical network. Two laser beams with separate wavelengths are transmitted from the central office to an optical network unit in the customer premises. Both laser beams carry downstream data. One laser beam is intensity modulated by on/off keying. The other laser beam is phase modulated by differential phase shift keying, which maintains a constant optical intensity. The first laser beam is received by a first optical receiver, which demodulates the first downstream data. The second laser beam is split in two. One laser beam is sent to a second optical receiver, which demodulates the second downstream data. The other laser beam is sent to a reflective semiconductor amplifier, which modulates the beam with upstream data and transmits the beam back to a receiver in the central optical system.

Abstract: A passive optical network (PON) device, system and method include an optical line terminal (OLT) receiver configured to receive multiple signals at different wavelengths simultaneously and enable multiple transmitters to operate at the same time during one upstream time slot. The optical line terminal employs Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) to transparently support a plurality of applications and enable dynamic bandwidth allocation among these applications where the bandwidth is allocated in two dimensional frequency and time space.

Abstract: Optical packets are generated by generating a first optical beam with a first wavelength and a second optical beam with a second optical beam. The first optical beam is modulated with a payload signal and then filtered to reduce the bandwidth of the signal. The second optical beam is modulated with a label signal. The filtered modulated first optical beam and modulated second optical beam are combined to generate a dual-wavelength optical beam.

Abstract: A colorless optical DQPSK demodulator and system operating over multiple, equally-spaced DWDM channels with fixed optical delays—capable of demodulating DQPSK within signals within DWDM communications wave bands on ITU grids using delay interferometers having fixed free spectral range at 20 GHz or 25 GHz.

Abstract: An optical network component, architecture and method for a wavelength division multiplexed passive optical network includes a band coupler configured to demultiplex first and second wavelength division multiplexed content transmitted from an optical line terminal into a first band signal and a second band signal. An arrayed wavelength grating is configured to receive the first band signal and to further demultiplex the first band signal into different wavelengths to provide a plurality of wavelength signals. An optical splitter is configured to split the second band signal into sub-signals and multiplex the sub-signals with each of the wavelength signals such that the first and second wavelength division multiplexed content is provided on a single wavelength to a user.