Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods for detecting a location of reflection in an optical link comprising: i) receiving an optical signal; ii) receiving a plurality of first type of delayed optical signals corresponding to the optical signal; iii) determining a first type of time delays associated with each of the plurality of first type of delayed optical signals; iv) receiving a plurality of second type of delayed optical signals corresponding to the optical signal; v) determining a second type of time delays associated with the each of the plurality of second type of delayed optical signals; vi) computing relative delays from the second type of time delays; vii) comparing the relative delays with the first type of time delays; and viii) determining a location of a given optical element contributing to the reflections based on the given relative delay and the location of the AR.

Abstract: System and method for managing spectral hole burning (SHB) effect in an optical transport network (OTN) link. The method is performed by an automatic gain control (AGC) circuit of an amplification assembly of the OTN link. The method comprises determining, via a first photodetector communicatively connected to the AGC circuit, an input power of an income signal and, in response to the input power being less than a predetermined portion of a full-loading signal power, causing a pump power variable attenuator (PVOA) of the amplification assembly to attenuate pump power from a pump source, the PVOA being disposed optically intermediate a first doped fiber and a second doped fiber of the amplification assembly.

Abstract: Device and methods for real-time polarization-dependent loss monitoring at coherent transceivers. In one embodiment, there is provided a method of monitoring a polarization dependent loss (PDL) of a signal during transmission through an optical communication link, the method comprising: receiving the signal by a coherent receiver, the received signal being subjected to one or more impairments in Amplifier Gain Control (AGC) mode, the one or more impairments including PDL; estimating an AGC gain effect of the AGC mode; compensating for the AGC gain effect in the received signal; determining the PDL from the compensated signal; and reporting the PDL.

Abstract: System and method for improving performance in an optical link. The optical link includes a plurality of communication channels for transmitting an optical signal. The method is performed by a link controller of the optical link. The method comprises determining a noise level of at least one channel of the plurality of channels, determining a launch power offset for the at least one channel and performing link commissioning based at least in part on the launch power offset.

Abstract: A LIDAR system and a method for detecting objects are disclosed. The LIDAR system has a controller configured to acquire a plurality of data points representative of detected signals, and perform an iterative process. During the first iteration the controller is configured to determine a first number of bins based on the plurality of data points, and in response to the first number being above a threshold: (i) organize the plurality of data points into the first number of bins, (ii) identify a target bin amongst the first number of bins, (iii) determine the distance of a first object based on the target bin; and (iv) determine a reduced plurality of data points based on the plurality of data points, which excludes data points associated with the target bin. During a second iteration, the controller determines a distance of a second object based on the reduced plurality of data points.

Abstract: Thermal insulation materials for batteries are generally described. The thermal insulation materials described herein have a number of advantages. For example, in some embodiments, the thermal insulation materials have desirable thermal properties, such as low thermal conductivity and/or high thermal stability. As another example, in some embodiments, the thermal insulation materials described herein have desirable structural properties, such as having a relatively low thickness, and/or beneficial mechanical properties. The thermal insulation materials described herein may also have a combination of desirable thermal and structural properties.

Abstract: A method for measuring polarization-dependent loss (PDL) of an optical link segment. The method has the steps of: measuring powers of first and second pilot tones (PTs) in a polarization-multiplexed (PM) optical signal at first and second link locations at or about an input and an output end of the optical link segment, respectively, the PM optical signal having first and second optical signals with orthogonal polarizations and amplitude-modulated by the first and second PTs, respectively; calculating a first orthogonal polarization power ratio (OPPR) of the first and second PTs using the powers thereof measured at the first link location; calculating a second OPPR of the first and second PTs using the powers thereof measured at the second link location; and calculating the PDL of the optical link segment based on a comparison between the first and second OPPRs.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide for methods and systems for feedback control of mode MUX and DEMUX. An aspect of the disclosure provides for a method associated with a mode MUX. The method includes modulating each WDM signal of a first set of WDM signals with a pilot tone of different frequency. The method further includes spatially multiplexing the first set of WDM signals to generate a multi-mode signal. The method further includes detecting the pilot tones from the multi-mode signal. The method further includes tuning the mode MUX based on the detecting. Another aspect of the disclosure provides for a method associated with a mode DEMUX. The method includes spatially demultiplexing a multi-mode signal into a set of WDM signals. The method further incudes detecting pilot tones from the set of WDM signals and tuning the mode DEMUX based on the detecting.

Abstract: There is provided a method and apparatus for detecting an object, especially an object remotely placed in a field of view (FOV) using optical pulses with non-uniform pulse power, without exceeding the Accessible Emitted Limit (AEL) A plurality of optical pulses including two or more levels of pulse power may be emitted to detect an object in the FOV. Information related to the object may be generated from the returning optical pulses. The optical pulses with non-uniform pulse power may result in increased probability of detection associated with the pulses returning from the remotely located object, and therefore the density of point clouds associated with the remotely located object may be increased.

Abstract: There is provided a method, apparatus and system for determining multipath interference (MPI) in optical communications. It is object of embodiments of the present disclosure to provide an effective, low-cost way of detecting or measuring MPI. To effectively detect and measure the MPI, multiple zero-power gaps are inserted into the transmission signal (optical signal) in time domain. In some embodiments, at least some of the zero-power gaps inserted in the main signal do not overlap the zero-power gaps of the reflection of the main signal. Using the zero-power gaps contained the main signal and the reflection (where applicable), power inside and outside the zero-power gaps are determined. Then, the strength of the MPI is determined based on the determined power inside and outside the zero-power gaps.

Abstract: A method of reducing the power consumption of an optical fiber amplifier by which the optical output of a first optical fiber is filtered to prevent a detrimental portion of the optical output from reaching a second optical fiber, to transmit a signal for amplification, and to transmit a portion of the optical output that can contribute to optical pumping of the second optical fiber. By propagating an optical pumping portion output from the first optical fiber, as well as optical pumping from an independent source, the independent source's power level can be reduced. In a sequence of optical fibers, each fiber can provide some pumping output to one or more other fibers, as long as its optical output is properly filtered with appropriate optical components, such as a band-stop filter. A sequence can be terminated by a low-pass filter in order for a final output to contain the amplified signal free from any other optical output.

Abstract: The disclosed systems, structures, and methods are directed to a LiDAR system comprising a radiation source configured to emit light pulses towards a region of interest (ROI), a detector configured to detect light pulses reflected from the ROI, a processor, communicatively coupled to the radiation source and the detector, configured to cause the radiation source to emit a preamble light pulse having an energy EP and a pulse width W1 towards the ROI, determine, if the preamble light pulse is detected by the detector and whether there is an object in the ROI, responsive to a determination that there is an object in the ROI, cause the radiation source to emit a scanning light pulse having an energy EL and a pulse width W2 towards the ROI, else the radiation source to emit a scanning light pulse having an energy EH and the pulse width W2 towards the ROI.

Abstract: The disclosed systems, structures, and methods are directed to an optical transceiver, employing a first optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) module configured to generate a first OTDR signal, and a second OTDR signal, the second OTDR signal being a delayed version of the first OTDR signal, a first optical supervisory channel (OSC) transmitter configured to generate a first OSC signal, and a second OSC signal, the second OSC signal being a delayed version of the first OSC signal, a first wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) configured to transmit the first OSC signal interleaved with the first OTDR signal on a first optical fiber and a second WDM configured to transmit the second OSC signal interleaved with the second OTDR signal on a second optical fiber.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are described for generating an optical signal in an optical network. The apparatus comprises at least a first and a second laser configured to generate a first or second series of optical pulses respectively and a polarization beam combiner (PBC). The PBC is configured to receive the first and second series of optical pulses. Each optical pulse in the first series of optical pulses is received with a first state of polarization (SOP), and each optical pulse in the second series of optical pulses is received with a second SOP. The first SOP and second SOP is orthogonal with respect to each other, and the PBC is further configured to combine the first and second series of optical pulses and to output an un-polarized optical signal. The un-polarized optical signal may help to reduce or mitigate nonlinear optical impairments caused by polarization of the optical signal.

Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods for monitoring, by a coherent optical monitor (OPM), generalized optical signal-to-noise ratio (gOSNR) of an optical channel, the method comprising: i) receiving, by an input port of the coherent OPM, a first signal and a second signal, wherein: the first signal and the second signal include same data, the first signal is an optical signal received from the optical channel, and the first signal is affected by a noise; ii) processing, by a digital signal processor (DSP) of the coherent OPM, the first signal and the second signal and extract the data from the first signal and the second signal; iii) computing, by the DSP, a first correlation between the data from the first signal and the data from the second digital signal; and iv) computing, by the DSP, a first gOSNR based on the first correlation.

Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods for characterizing an optical fiber in a dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) optical link. The characterizing comprising: i) applying a power dither to data bearing optical signals propagating in the optical fiber, the power dither having a high-power level and a low-power level; ii) computing optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) traces corresponding to the high-power level and the low-power level of the power dither; iii) averaging the OTDR traces corresponding to the high-power level and the OTDR traces corresponding to the low-power level into average OTDR traces; computing a differential Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) gain from the OTDR traces; and iv) adjusting the average OTDR traces based on the differential SRS gain.

Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods for improving a launch power in an optical link. The improvement of launch power in the optical link is based on: i) selecting an optical span from one or more optical spans within the optical link; ii) applying a power dither to a plurality of the optical signals propagating in the selected optical span; iii) selecting an optical signal from the plurality of the optical signals to which the power dither is applied; iv) correlating the power dither with a performance parameter of the selected optical signal; and v) based on the correlation, adjusting the launch power of a first optical amplifier in the selected optical span to minimize the correlation to approximately equal to zero.

Abstract: A method to determine the types of optical fibers forming a link of an optical communication network. By scanning a signal's bit error rate at a receiver end, as a function of a pre-dispersion applied to a signal at a transmitter end, local minimums in the curve indicate the presence of amplifiers, and therefore fiber span extremities. By determining the accumulated dispersion at each fiber extremity, a ratio of dispersion per span length can be obtained and the span's coefficient of chromatic dispersion be inferred, thereby identifying the type of fiber. Alternatively, a signal's signal-to-noise ratio can be scanned, instead of its bit error rate. In a typical network, the required instrumentation is pre-existing.

Abstract: There is provided a method, apparatus and system for determining multipath interference (MPI) in optical communications. It is object of embodiments of the present disclosure to provide an effective, low-cost way of detecting or measuring MPI. To effectively detect and measure the MPI, multiple zero-power gaps are inserted into the transmission signal (optical signal) in time domain. In some embodiments, at least some of the zero-power gaps inserted in the main signal do not overlap the zero-power gaps of the reflection of the main signal. Using the zero-power gaps contained the main signal and the reflection (where applicable), power inside and outside the zero-power gaps are determined. Then, the strength of the MPI is determined based on the determined power inside and outside the zero-power gaps.

Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods for monitoring, by a coherent optical monitor (OPM), generalized optical signal-to-noise ratio (gOSNR) of an optical channel, the method comprising: i) receiving, by an input port of the coherent OPM, a first signal and a second signal, wherein: the first signal and the second signal include same data, the first signal is an optical signal received from the optical channel, and the first signal is affected by a noise; ii) processing, by a digital signal processor (DSP) of the coherent OPM, the first signal and the second signal and extract the data from the first signal and the second signal; iii) computing, by the DSP, a first correlation between the data from the first signal and the data from the second digital signal; and iv) computing, by the DSP, a first gOSNR based on the first correlation.