Abstract: A fiber optic system includes a transmitter for transmitting high-speed streaming electrical data to a receiver for receiving the high-speed data. In order to transmit multiple channels in the system at high-speeds, an electrical data signal is converted into multiple optical sub-signals. Each of the multiple optical sub-signals are transmitted at the common wavelength on multi-spatial mode media. The receiver receives the multiple optical sub-signals as a multi-spatial mode optical signal and separates the multi-spatial mode optical signal into branch signals having a common wavelength. The receiver mixes each of the branch signals with optical carrier waves having the common wavelength and converts the branch signals into electrical signals. Digital signal processing is used to recover the data sub-signals which are used to recover the original data signal.

Abstract: A fiber optic system includes a transmitter for transmitting high-speed streaming electrical data to a receiver for receiving the high-speed data. In order to transmit multiple channels in the system at high-speeds, an electrical data signal is converted into multiple optical sub-signals. Each of the multiple optical sub-signals are transmitted at the common wavelength on multi-spatial mode media. The receiver receives the multiple optical sub-signals as a multi-spatial mode optical signal and separates the multi-spatial mode optical signal into branch signals having a common wavelength. The receiver mixes each of the branch signals with optical carrier waves having the common wavelength and converts the branch signals into electrical signals. Digital signal processing is used to recover the data sub-signals which are used to recover the original data signal.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that measure the OSNR of an optical channel. Embodiments provide OSNR measurement methods that distinguish the intensities of the coherent modulated signal from the incoherent noise intensity occupying the same optical band using a calibration factor ?.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that measure the OSNR of an optical channel. Embodiments provide OSNR measurement methods that distinguish the intensities of the coherent modulated signal from the incoherent noise intensity occupying the same optical band using a calibration factor ?.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that derive a relationship between an optical transmitter's extinction ratio (Er) and its interferogram wing-to-peak ratio (Iwp). The change in an optical transmitter's Iwp correlates with a change in measured Er. As the Er of a telecom signal changes, the power of the modulated signal's interferogram wings change. After a relationship between Iwp and measured Er has been derived for an optical transmitter, the relationship may be used after deployment to determine an Er by measuring an Iwp.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that derive a relationship between an optical transmitter's extinction ratio (Er) and its interferogram wing-to-peak ratio (Iwp). The change in an optical transmitter's Iwp correlates with a change in measured Er. As the Er of a telecom signal changes, the power of the modulated signal's interferogram wings change. After a relationship between Iwp and measured Er has been derived for an optical transmitter, the relationship may be used after deployment to determine an Er by measuring an Iwp.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that measure the OSNR of an optical channel. Embodiments provide OSNR measurement methods that distinguish the intensities of the coherent modulated signal from the incoherent noise intensity occupying the same optical band using a calibration factor ?.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that measure the OSNR of an optical channel. Embodiments provide OSNR measurement methods that distinguish the intensities of the coherent modulated signal from the incoherent noise intensity occupying the same optical band using a calibration factor ?.

Abstract: A method, pump and Raman amplifier control an amount of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) produced by the Raman amplifier pump so as to regulate a power penalty experienced by a receiver due to the SBS. A multi-mode semiconductor laser produces a multi-mode pump light having a dominate mode at a predetermined wavelength. At least a portion of the multi-mode pump light is coupled to a Raman gain medium in a forward pumping direction. A reflection sensor monitors reflected light that is at least partially reflected from said Raman gain medium. The reflection sensor has a passband characteristic that passes optical power of a dominate SBS peak of said reflected light, but suppresses other SBS peaks that are offset in wavelength from said dominate SBS peak. The optical power of the dominate SBS peak is compared to an optical power of the multi-mode pump light, and it is determined whether a result of the comparing step is above a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: In accordance with the invention, an optical fiber transmission system is provided with multiple order PMD compensation to provide enhanced compensation at high bit rates and across a range of frequencies. Specifically, PMD is compensated by a concatenated series of components, each component configured to compensate for the effects of a successively higher order term of a PMD Taylor series approximation. Advantageously, each component comprises a polarization controller and a differential dispersion element of specified order. In an exemplary embodiment, the first order differential dispersion element can be a standard differential group delay (DGD) element. The element of second order can be a differential group-velocity dispersion element, and the third order element can be a differential dispersion slope element. These differential dispersion elements of various orders can be fixed or tunable elements in different embodiments.

Abstract: In accordance with the invention, an optical fiber transmission system is provided with multiple order PMD compensation to provide enhanced compensation at high bit rates and across a range of frequencies. Specifically, PMD is compensated by a concatenated series of components, each component configured to compensate for the effects of a successively higher order term of a PMD Taylor series approximation. Advantageously, each component comprises a polarization controller and a differential dispersion element of specified order. In an exemplary embodiment, the first order differential dispersion element can be a standard differential group delay (DGD) element. The element of second order can be a differential group-velocity dispersion element, and the third order element can be a differential dispersion slope element. These differential dispersion elements of various orders can be fixed or tunable elements in different embodiments.

Abstract: In one method, two light signals, of the same optical frequency, but having orthogonal states of polarization, are transmitted through an optical device and the mean signal delay of each of the light signals is measured. Calculations, based upon disclosed relationships, provide the polarization-independent delay (&tgr;0) through the optical device based upon the mean signal delays (&tgr;g1 and &tgr;g(−1)) of each of the light signals. By comparing &tgr;0 at adjacent wavelengths, the chromatic dispersion of the optical device can be accurately measured even in the presence of PMD. In a second, similar method, four light signals of non-degenerate polarizations states that span Stokes space are utilized. In a modification of the above-described methods based on the measurement of pulse delays, the methods are adapted to the measurement of phase delays of sinusoidally modulated signals.

Abstract: In one method, two light signals, of the same optical frequency, but having orthogonal states of polarization, are transmitted through an optical device and the mean signal delay of each of the light signals is measured. Calculations, based upon disclosed relationships, provide the polarization-independent delay (&tgr;0) through the optical device based upon the mean signal delays (&tgr;g1 and &tgr;g(−1)) of each of the light signals. By comparing &tgr;0 at adjacent wavelengths, the chromatic dispersion of the optical device can be accurately measured even in the presence of PMD. In a second, similar method, four light signals of non-degenerate polarizations states that span Stokes space are utilized. In a modification of the above-described methods based on the measurement of pulse delays, the methods are adapted to the measurement of phase delays of sinusoidally modulated signals.

Abstract: Four different light signals, all of the same optical frequency, but, having different states of polarization, are transmitted through an optical device and the mean signal delay of each of the light signals is measured. Calculations, based upon the relationship, &tgr;g=&tgr;0−½ {right arrow over (&OHgr;)}·{overscore (s)}, describing the polarization dependence of &tgr;g (a measured mean signal delay) through the device as a function of &tgr;0 (a polarization independent delay component of the device), {right arrow over (&OHgr;)} (the PMD vector at the device input) and {overscore (s)} (the input Stokes vector of the light signal), yield the PMD of the device. Also, by comparing data taken at adjacent wavelengths, the chromatic dispersion of the optical device can be accurately measured even in the presence of PMD.

Abstract: In an optical fiber transmission system, higher order PMD compensation is realized at the output of the transmission fiber. A compensator is placed at the output of the transmission fiber whose PMD vector is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the PMD vector at the output of the transmission fiber. The compensator PMD vector sweeps at a rate that matches the frequency sweep rate of the PMD vector at the fiber output. To compensate for second order PMD while avoiding the introduction of higher order PMD effects, a planar sweep is advantageously employed. A polarization pair controller is employed in advance of the compensator to align the PMD vector at the compensator input with the PMD vector at the fiber output so that the two cancel as well as to align the rotational axis of the compensator PMD vector with the rotational axis of the fiber PMD vector. The system may also include a monitoring device to monitor the compensation of fiber PMD, to determine the need for adjustments to the system.

Abstract: In an optical fiber transmission system, higher order PMD compensation is realized with a sweeper device at the input to the fiber which converts the polarization of the light beam into a frequency dependent polarization whose rate of change is similar to the rate of change of one of the PSPs of the fiber. The frequency dependent polarization of the light beam is then aligned with one of the frequency-dependent PSPs at the input of the fiber. Furthermore, differential group delay dispersion for a given frequency can be reduced by employing a chromatic dispersion compensator prior to the receiver end of the fiber transmission system. Control of the polarization of the light beam can be facilitated by monitoring PMD in the system, or alternatively, monitoring an effect of PMD in the system, such as bit error rates.

Abstract: Resonances in cross-phase-modulation (CPM) impairment occur in wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) transmission systems, having multiple equal dispersion-length amplifier spans, when channels have an integral number of bit walk-throughs per amplifier span. The CPM resonances are reduced by mis-matching the amplifier span lengths (and/or dispersion in each span) so an integral number of bit walk-throughs do not occur in successive amplifier spans. The CPM resonances are reduced by adding different lengths of dispersion-compensating fiber to each span, using different modulation bit rates and/or clock phase delay for each channel, and using different wavelength-selective clock phase delays for each channel.

Abstract: A fiber laser for producing high energy ultrashort laser pulses, having a positive-dispersion fiber segment and a negative-dispersion fiber segment joined in series with the positive-dispersion fiber segment to form a laser cavity. With this configuration, soliton effects of laser pulse circulation in the cavity are suppressed and widths of laser pulses circulating in the cavity undergo large variations between a maximum laser pulse width and a minimum laser pulse width during one round trip through the cavity. The fiber laser also provides means for modelocking laser radiation in the laser cavity, means for providing laser radiation gain in the laser cavity, and means for extracting laser pulses from the laser cavity.

Abstract: A fiber laser for producing high energy ultrashort laser pulses, having a positive-dispersion fiber segment and a negative-dispersion fiber segment joined in series with the positive-dispersion fiber segment to form a laser cavity. With this configuration, soliton effects of laser pulse circulation in the cavity are suppressed and widths of laser pulses circulating in the cavity undergo large variations between a maximum laser pulse width and a minimum laser pulse width during one round trip through the cavity. The fiber laser also provides means for modelocking laser radiation in the laser cavity, means for providing laser radiation gain in the laser cavity, and means for extracting laser pulses from the laser cavity.