Abstract: Methods and systems for Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry include optically filtering out non-Brillouin signals reflected from a fiber. Brillouin signals reflected from the fiber are coupled with a local oscillator to produce a Brillouin shift signals. The Brillouin shift signals are converted to an electrical domain using a photodetector. The electrical Brillouin shift signals are converted to a digital domain using a low-speed analog-to-digital converter that has a sampling rate below a Nyquist rate sufficient to fully resolve the electrical Brillouin shift signals.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods, and structures that advantageously amplify optical signals through the effect of optical pump signals generated by a multicore laser diode and multicore rare-earth doped optical fiber in optical communication with a 3D waveguide structure and a multicore input signal fiber providing a plurality of optical signals for amplification.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe methods of generating an optimized set of constellation symbols for an optical transmission network wherein the optimized constellation is based on GMI cost and considers both fiber nonlinearity and linear transmission noise.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods, and structures that advantageously provide hybrid free-space optical (FSO)-radio frequency (RF) communication links (HFRCLs) that enable building integrated software-defined network (SDN) infrastructure capable of integrating ultra-high-throughput satellite networks, composite wireless infrastructures, heterogeneous networks (HetNets), hybrid networks, satellite networks, and fiber-optics networks—among others.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods, and structures for providing C-band and L-band transmission exhibiting increased power efficiency by diverting a portion of C-band optical energy to an input of L-band optical amplifiers (C-seeding) while optionally employing circulators to eliminate the need for optical isolators.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods, and structures for providing bidirectional C-band and L-band transmission employing optical circulators which advantageously eliminates C\L WDM couplers while still blocking any backward amplified spontaneous emissions from optical amplifiers.

Abstract: A four-dimensional multiplexing method and four-dimensional multiplexing system are provided for optical networks. The method includes receiving sensor data to be transmitted on an optical network. The method also includes encoding the sensor data into an optical signal employing one or more multiplexing systems. The method additionally includes transmitting the optical signal over the optical network. The method further includes decoding the optical signal into the sensor data employing the one or more multiplexing systems. The method also includes controlling an operation of a processor-based machine responsive to the sensor data.

Abstract: A method and network are provided for a reconfigurable optical sensor network. The method includes configuring, by a controller, the reconfigurable optical sensor network, including one or more reconfigurable optical space switches, for a type of sensor data. The method also includes generating sensor data in the type of sensor data with one or more of a plurality of bidirectional sensors. The method additionally includes sending the sensor data to one or more optical star couplers. The method further includes forwarding the sensor data from one of the one or more optical star couplers to the one of one or more reconfigurable optical space switches.

Abstract: A method and switch are provided for reconfigurable optical space switch. The method includes receiving a control signal, from a controller, to configure a path through the reconfigurable optical space switch. The method also includes applying a voltage to one or more direction changing devices at each intersection between each of the east-west optical waveguides and each of the north-south optical waveguides to form the path through the reconfigurable optical space switch. The method additionally includes receiving an optical signal in one of a plurality of passive waveguides at a beginning of the path, including the plurality of east-west optical waveguides and the plurality of north-south optical waveguides. The method further includes outputting the optical signal out on of the plurality of passive waveguides at an end of the path.

Abstract: Systems and methods for orbital angular momentum (OAM)-based multidimensional wireless communication. The OAM-based multidimensional wireless communication is preformed with a transmitter for generating an RF modulated signal carrying a data sequence. Further included is an OAM antenna array including OAM antenna elements, each of which includes an azimuthal phase shifter and an antenna element. The azimuthal phase shifter shifts an azimuthal phase term of a wavefront generated by the antenna element such that the OAM antenna element imposes the multidimensional modulated signal on a pre-determined OAM mode of a carrier signal corresponding to the azimuthal phase term.

Abstract: Systems and methods for orbital angular momentum (OAM)-based multidimensional signaling with multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO). The wireless communication is achieved using a transmitter including a plurality of orthogonal pulse shapers of a multidimensional modulator, the plurality of orthogonal pulse shapers generating a multidimensional modulated signal by imposing one or more data sequences on corresponding mutually orthogonal filter impulse responses derived from multiple orthogonal basis functions including Slepian sequences. An OAM antenna array including OAM antenna elements is used such that each of the OAM antenna elements includes an azimuthal phase shifter for shifting an azimuthal phase term of a wavefront generated by an antenna element such that the OAM antenna elements impose the multidimensional modulated signal on pre-determined OAM modes of a carrier signal corresponding to the azimuthal phase term.

Abstract: Systems and methods for quantum key distribution using orbital angular momentum (OAM)-modes-enabled secure multidimensional coded modulation. The quantum key distribution including symbols of a raw key across subcarriers and multiplexing the subcarriers to form an electrical carrier. Then optically modulating the electrical carrier with an electro-optical modulator using an optical signal. The optically modulated electrical carrier is then imposed on a pre-determined OAM mode using an optical OAM multiplexer, attenuated, and transmitted across a quantum channel. A receiver then receives the transmitted signal and demultiplexes it with an optical OAM demultiplexer to extract projections. The projections then undergo optical-to-electrical conversion using a coherent optical detector with an optical signal from a local oscillator. A resulting estimated electrical carrier is then demultiplexed into subcarriers.

Abstract: Interactive visualizations of a convolutional neural network are provided. For example, a graphical user interface (GUI) can include a matrix having symbols indicating feature-map values that represent likelihoods of particular features being present or absent at various locations in an input to a convolutional neural network. Each column in the matrix can have feature-map values generated by convolving the input to the convolutional neural network with a respective filter for identifying a particular feature in the input. The GUI can detect, via an input device, an interaction indicating that that the columns in the matrix are to be combined into a particular number of groups. Based on the interaction, the columns can be clustered into the particular number of groups using a clustering method. The matrix in the GUI can then be updated to visually represent each respective group of columns as a single column of symbols within the matrix.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for distributed acoustic sensing in a multicore optical fiber. The system includes a transmitter for simultaneously propagating a sequence of M light pulses through the multicore optical fiber using a spatial mode selected from a set of N spatial modes provided by a spatial mode selector for the transmitter that is coupled to an input to the multicore optical fiber, with M and N being respective integers greater than one. The system further includes a receiver for receiving the sequence of M light pulses at an output of the multicore optical fiber and detecting an environmental perturbation in the multicore optical fiber based on an evaluation of a propagation of the sequence of M light pulses through the multicore optical fiber.

Abstract: A modified laminin characterized in that a laminin or a heterotrimeric laminin fragment has a collagen binding molecule conjugated to at least one site selected from the ? chain N-terminus, the ? chain N-terminus and the ? chain N-terminus, and an extracellular-matrix material comprising the modified laminin, and collagen and/or gelatin serve as an alternative to Matrigel and are useful as an extracellular-matrix material for the formation of a safe three-dimensional tissue structure for regenerative medicine in humans.

Abstract: A multi-pole synchronous pulmonary artery radiofrequency ablation catheter may comprise a control handle, a catheter body and an annular ring. One end of the catheter body may be flexible, and the flexible end of the catheter body may be connected to the annular ring. The other end of the catheter body may be connected to the control handle. A shape memory wire may be arranged in the annular ring. One end of the shape memory wire may extend to an end of the annular ring and the other end of the shape memory wire may pass through a root of the annular ring and be fixed on the flexible end of the catheter body. The annular ring may be provided with an electrode group. The device possesses advantages of simple operation, short operation time and controllable precise ablation. The device can be used to treat pulmonary hypertension with pulmonary denervation.

Abstract: A Multibit Trie is created for routing distribution of IP prefixes in each Virtual Private Network (VPN). Routing of IP prefixes in the highest level 1˜m of the Multibit Trie is expanded to IP prefixes in level m+1 according to a prefix expansion method, wherein m is an integer larger than 1. Each branch of the IP prefixes in the level m+1 of the Multibit Trie is taken as a Branch_Tree, and data structure information of each Branch_Tree is saved. When routing of an IP address in a VPN is to be searched, a Branch_Tree is searched in a Multibit Trie corresponding to the VPN according to the highest m+1 bits of the IP address, and the routing of the IP address is searched in the Branch_Tree.

Abstract: A Multibit Trie is created for routing distribution of IP prefixes in each Virtual Private Network (VPN); and each Multibit Trie is divided into multiple layers. When routing search is performed for an IP address of a VPN, an input key is generated for each layer respectively, the input key of the layer comprises a VPN identifier of the VPN and bits corresponding to all of at least one layer before the layer in the IP address. A calculation is performed for the generated input key of each layer by using a Hash function of the layer, and routing is searched for according to a data structure information pointer of a Sub_Trie node corresponding to a longest Hash hit result.

Abstract: Methods and systems for Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry include optically filtering out non-Brillouin signals reflected from a fiber. Brillouin signals reflected from the fiber are coupled with a local oscillator to produce a Brillouin shift signals. The Brillouin shift signals are converted to an electrical domain using a photodetector. The electrical Brillouin shift signals are converted to a digital domain using a low-speed analog-to-digital converter that has a sampling rate below a Nyquist rate sufficient to fully resolve the electrical Brillouin shift signals.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for optically communicating data by, at a transmitter side, encoding a block of input bits by one or more outer encoders, and after interleaving the encoded bits, permuting the encoded bits according to a predetermined sequence or order, and further encoding the encoded bits by an inner encoder, and at a receiver side, decoding received bits with an inner decoder, and after the encoded bits are permuted, subsequently decoding by and outer decoder, and returning information bits at an outer decoder as an output. The soft-decision and hard-decision outputs from the outer BCH code help the inner LDPC decoder to have better estimation of the received bits and gain performance. The performance in higher-order modulation formats could be as large as 0.5 dB in one embodiment.