Abstract: The isolation between stop and pass bands afforded by an optical fibre normally reflective Bragg grating reflective over a waveband .lambda..sub.3 is enhanced by preceding it with two blazed Bragg gratings that are spectrally selectively mode coupling respectively over wavebands .lambda..sub.1 and .lambda..sub.2, where the .lambda..sub.3 waveband compasses the spectral waveband separating waveband .lambda..sub.1 from waveband .lambda..sub.2. The fibre is connected to an optical circulator or one port of an optical 4-port 3 dB coupler.

Abstract: A Bragg reflection grating is written in photosensitive optical fiber using ultra-violet light from an ArF excimer laser with the aid of a phase grating to create a fringe pattern. The writing is effected by a type II damage process performed in two stages, the first of which involves the creation of a low reflectivity grating, which is incubated to greater reflectivity in the second stage. Incubation is performed without the use of any fringe pattern.

Abstract: An optical repeater is comprised by an amplifying optical fibre (5) and directional coupler means (3). An input pulse (1) is reflected, by a respective grating (7) written in the optical fibre, in dependence on the spectral content of the pulse (1). The output pulse (8) is thus reshaped (amplified) and narrowed spectrally. The gratings have different spacings, at least in use of the repeater, so that output pulses with predetermined characteristics can be achieved.

Abstract: A chirped distributed Bragg grating optical fibre filter comprises an adiabatically tapered single mode optical fibre provided on the taper with a distributed Bragg grating of uniform pitch.

Abstract: Soliton-type interaction is eliminated in optical fibre communications system by making the fibre appear to be a passive optical pipe to a signal to be transmitted along it. In particular, the signal to be transmitted is intensity modulated and at a first wavelength which is greater than the minimum dispersion wavelength of the fibre by a predetermined amount. This signal is launched simultaneously into the fibre with a signal of dark pulses of the same format but at a wavelength less than the minimum dispersion wavelength by the predetermined amount. As a result the light transmitted in the fibre is of constant intensity and soliton-type effects, which rely on intensity variation for their formation, do not occur.

Abstract: In order to achieve increased spacing between amplifiers in soliton transmission systems, it is proposed to use distributed amplifiers, whereby the fibre is a continuous amplifier, rather than or in addition to the conventional lumped amplifiers. This is achieved by using rare earth, for example, erbium doped fibre as the or part of the transmission fibre (4; 4, 7) for the solitons and arranging that the erbium doped fibre appears substantially lossless to input soliton pulses. The latter can be achieved by varying the erbium concentration along the fibre length and providing appropriate optical pumping (5) for the erbium doped fibre. Alternatively, the output of the pump (5) for the fibre can itself be pumped (5a) whereby to replenish the pump power lost to the erbium doped fibre.

Abstract: A practical fibre Raman amplifier for soliton systems which employs conventional transmission fibre (4) and a pulsed pump source (3). The pump source only requires a relatively low mean power level but must be capable of providing sufficiently high peak output power pulses at intervals corresponding to the intervals between solitons whereby to amplify the latter. A conventional mode-locked laser diode source can achieve this at the requisite wavelength. The use of such a pulsed pump source is possible since the solitons have to be spaced at intervals approximately 8 to 10 times their pulse width in order to avoid interaction problems. Conventionally, Raman amplification requires high means power continuous wave pump sources and suitable laser diode sources are not available at the requisite wavelengths.

Abstract: The gain of an optical amplifier is maintained constant by employing a portion of the amplified optical signal in a feedback loop. In one arrangement this is used to control the output of a pump signal source accordingly. The portion of the said signal corresponds to spontaneous emission (ASE) at a control wavelength or band of wavelengths different to the wavelength of the optical signal output. In the case of an erbium, for example, optical fibre amplifier the portion is preferably ASE at 980 nm, the amplified signal being at 1.535 .mu.m, i.e. completely different transitions in the amplifying medium are used for gain and ASE feedback in order to lessen requirements on the filter used to extract the portion for the feedback loop.

Abstract: An optical fibre star coupler in which the mixer element (11, 21, 45) exhibits optical gain. This allows the use of couplers having a relatively large number of outputs without the requirement for an excessive power level for any input signal.

Abstract: An active optical fibre star coupler having a length of amplifying optical fibre (1) optically connected at one end to a wavelength combining coupler (2) and at the other end to via a beam expanding element (3) to a set of output optical fibres.

Abstract: Optical fibres comprised of a halide glass incorporating color centers, for example fluoride fibres, can behave as a laser or an amplifier when maintained at a low temperature, typically 77.degree. K., and optically pumped. A laser may be comprised by a length of such a fibre (1) wound on a spool (2) and disposed in liquid nitrogen (4), the ends of the fibre are outside of the coolant and associated with input and output mirrors (5,6) which define the extremities of a lasing cavity. An optical pumping signal (7) is provided by a laser (8), for example a Krypton ion laser operating in the visible range. The output of the fibre laser is in the infra-red. Higher gain than with conventional color center lasers is achieved due to the longer interaction length and cooling problems are overcome.

Abstract: It has been found that when a pulsed high-power laser beam is incident on the surfaces of a wide variety of materials, ripples are produced on such surface. This is due to interference between scattered waves and the incident beam producing intensity fringes, and hence localized heating. The dimensions of the ripples are dependent on the wavelngth of the incident light. This is used to produce permanent (after cooling) gratings on the outer surface of an optical waveguide, for example an optical fibre, on to which a laser beam is focussed by a lens system. Hence a grating whose length is a few hundreds of micrometers is produced. If the cladding is removed this effect of ripple generation is enhanced.

Abstract: An optical crossbar switch employs the optical Kerr effect to cause switching of an input signal between two possible outputs. In the absence of a pump signal the output is on one fibre. In the presence of a pump signal the output is on the other fibre. The pump signal serves to produce rotation of the polarization of the input signal in a polarization maintaining coupler, the two possible polarization states being separated by a birefringent crystal or a polarization selective beam splitter.

Abstract: An optical signal pulse to be amplified and a pump signal pulse are launched consecutively into one end of an optical fiber, which may comprise a separate fibre or part of a transmission line. The pulses differ in wavelength by one or more Stokes shift and the order of launch is determined by the relative group velocities in the fibre. Owing to dispersion in the fibre the pulses overlap and overtake one another while they are transmitted along the fibre, the signal pulse being amplified as a result of Raman stimulated emission and compressed as a result of power depletion from the pump pulse, thus increasing the bandwidth of the transmission line.

Abstract: Use is made of stimulated Raman emission to induce gain in an optical signal (13) of a first wavelength. The optical signal (13) and a pump signal (14) are synchronously coupled to a length of optical fibre (15). The pump signal is at a second wavelength. The first wavelength corresponds to one Stokes shift from the pump signal. The pump signal is generated by a semiconductor laser (11) and thus only relatively low pump powers are involved in comparison with the conventional use of YAG lasers as the pumps, however significant gain is achieved despite the low pump powers. Preferably the optical fibre (15) has a high Raman cross-section and a low transmission loss, for example GeO.sub.2 doped SiO.sub.2 or pure GeO.sub.2.

Abstract: An optical matrix-vector multiplier for multiplying an m-row n-column matrix by an n-component vector to form an m-component vector (FIG. 1). In the specific case of a 3.times.3 matrix (FIGS. 4a and 4b), the multiplier comprises three light-emitting devices (21,22,23), for example LEDs, each emitting at a different wavelength (.lambda..sub.1, .lambda..sub.2, .lambda..sub.3), an acousto-optic modulator (29) driven by each x value in turn, and three integrating photodetectors (32, 33, 34) each receptive to a respective one of the different wavelengths. A single collimating lens (30) serves to apply light, emitted by each of the LEDs in turn in response to respective matrix components, to the modulator (29). The LEDs may be connected by respective optical fibers (24, 25, 26) to a fiber coupler (28) and thence via a common optical fiber (27) to the lens (30), or coupled by a dispersive element (35--FIG. 5) to the lens (30).

Abstract: The source wavelength dependent delay produced in a single mode fiber is equalized by causing the emergent light beam therefrom to be incident on a dispersion element which is such as to transmit the beam of light at an angle or position dependent on the source wavelength. The transmitted beam of light is launched into a length of multimode fiber such that the beam emergent therefrom is equivalent to the single mode fiber emergent beam but with the delay thereof equalized. If the multimode fiber is step index fiber the transmitted light at which the delay is the least is launched thereinto at the maximum angle, whereas the transmitted light at which the delay is the most is launched thereinto along the axis thereof. Alternatively, a graded index fiber can be employed for the multimode fiber.