Abstract: Signals propagating in a buffered optical fiber within, for example, an optical jumper cable, are attenuated by clamping a grating along an axial length of buffer material on the fiber. A fundamental resonant coupling or grating period that would induce attenuation of light signals in the fiber in the absence of buffer material, is determined. The grating clamped on the fiber has a periodicity that is N times the determined fundamental period, wherein N is a positive integer.

Abstract: An optical cable tracing system is constructed using an optical/electrical (hybrid) cable 10 containing both optical and electrical transmission media. This cable provides desirably high bandwidth via optical fibers 15 while connection accuracy is provided via electrical wires 13, which are used to operate indicator lights 941 at one or both ends of the cable. A hybrid plug connector 300 terminates the cable at each end and includes a dielectric housing 20, 30 that encloses the optical fiber (glass or plastic), which extends through a front opening 21 in the housing. A single cantilever latch 22 is mounted on a top-side of the housing that is adapted to engage a mating jack receptacle 440 in a locking relationship. A conductor-holding apparatus is molded into the bottom side of the housing where it holds a number of insulated electrical conductors and metallic blade terminals 36 that pierce the insulation and make electrical contact with each of the conductors.

Abstract: A glass fiber suitable for use in a light amplifier or laser application which includes an inner cylindrical glass core with a substantially uniform layer of a direct band gap semiconductor material surrounding said core, and a substantially uniform layer of an outer glass cladding surrounding said semiconductor layer. The preform from which the fiber is made is also disclosed.

Abstract: A transparent optical node (TON) structure for use in a two-connected optical packet switching architecture. The TON is used in an interconnect employing deflection routing with two wavelength signaling where the data information of the packet resides on one wavelength .lambda..sub.1 and the header information of the packet resides on a different wavelength .lambda..sub.2. The TON is capable of full switch functionality: packet routing, add/drop multiplexing and packet buffering. The header portion of the packet is removed from data portion and can be rewritten before reinsertion. This invention allows for the use of a previously developed TON to be used with two-wavelength signaling.

Abstract: The observation of self-sustained pulsation and transient self-pulsation in laser diodes at 1300 nm is described with the effects of optoelectronic feedback on the pulsations. Transient self-pulsation has a lifetime of a few minutes with frequencies up to 7 GHz. The linewidth of self-pulsation is on the order of 0.5 GHz. With optoelectronic feedback, the transient self-pulsation can be stabilized and enhanced. The center frequency of feedback-sustained pulsation is dependent on the passband of the bandpass filter in the feedback loop. The linewidth of feedback-sustained pulsation is significantly reduced to about 20 kHz. The optical spectra of the laser diodes exhibit coherence collapse at weak optoelectronic feedback. The feedback sustained pulsation can be frequency modulated. Applications of the feedback-sustained pulsation include subcarrier multiplexing optical networks.