Abstract: According to particular embodiments, a signal communicated from a transmitter to a receiver is received. A frequency offset estimate of the signal is determined. The frequency offset estimate indicates a frequency difference between the transmitter and the receiver. The frequency offset estimate is provided as feedback. A next frequency offset is compensated for according to the feedback.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a plurality of receivers each configured to receive a plurality of polarized signals, a voltage control oscillator (VCO) coupled to the receivers and configured to control timing and sampling frequency of the polarized signals, and a signal processing component coupled to the receivers and configured to update a plurality of weighted linear factors, wherein the polarized signals and the weighted linear factors are used to obtain a combined signal, and wherein the weighted linear factors are updated using a real part or an imaginary part of the combined signal. Included is a method comprising using a linear factor to combine a plurality of polarized optical signals to provide time recovery information, and updating the linear factor using a combination of the polarized optical signals.

Abstract: A dispersion compensation device includes: an optical branching unit to branch an optical signal to be received; a first dispersion compensator to perform dispersion compensation on one part of the optical signal branched by the optical branching unit with a variable compensation amount; a second dispersion compensator to perform dispersion compensation on another part of the optical signal branched by the optical branching unit; a monitoring unit to monitor the communication quality of an output optical signal of the second dispersion compensator; and a controlling unit to determine the direction of variation in chromatic dispersion of the optical signal based on the direction of variation in communication quality monitored by the monitoring unit and control the compensation amount of the first dispersion compensator based on the result of the determination.

Abstract: A device and method are disclosed for blind equalization of an optical signal to implement adaptive polarization recovery, Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) compensation, and residual Chromatic Dispersion (CD) compensation in a digital coherent optical communication system.

Abstract: A method of stabilizing the state of polarization of an optical radiation comprises: 1) applying sequentially to the optical radiation a first and a second controllable phase retardation; 2) detecting an optical power of at least a first polarized portion of the optical radiation obtained after step 1; 3) applying sequentially to the optical radiation obtained after step 1 a third and a fourth controllable phase retardation; 4) detecting an optical power of a further polarized portion of the optical radiation obtained after step 3; 5) controlling, responsive to the optical power of said first polarized portion, the second controllable phase retardation so as to maintain the polarization state of the optical radiation obtained after step 1 at a defined great circle r on a Poincare sphere; 6) in case the second controllable phase retardation reaches a first limit value, commuting the first controllable phase retardation between first and second values; 7) controlling, responsive to the optical power of said fur

Abstract: Various example embodiments are disclosed. According to one example embodiment, a phase error is estimated in a series of digital symbols of a phase-modulated signal, where the signal is subject to a non-linear phase shift error due to transmission of the signal through an optical fiber. A phase correction of an instant digital symbol that succeeds the series of digital symbols is estimated, where the estimated phase correction is based on the estimated phase errors in the series of digital symbols. The estimated phase correction of the instant digital symbol is limited to a maximum absolute value, and the estimated phase correction is applied to the instant digital symbol of the signal.

Abstract: An optical transmission system includes an optical transmitter that includes first and second light sources, first and second phase modulators respectively modulating light from the first and the second light sources, and a polarized beam combiner combining the light output from the first and the second phase modulators to output an optical signal; and an optical receiver that includes a local oscillator, a polarization beam splitter splitting, according to polarization, the optical signal transmitted from the optical transmitter, and first and second digital coherent receivers corresponding to the first and the second phase modulators, and including a frontend that mixes light from the local oscillator and the polarization-split optical signal to output an electrical signal of real and imaginary parts, an analog-digital converting unit converting the electrical signal to a digital signal, and a digital signal processing unit estimating phase of the digital signal and extracting a signal.

Abstract: A receiver including a fiber optic first input element, through which a signal carrying information circulates, a local laser block, a photo-detection block, and a block of differential demodulation is disclosed. The information-carrying signal of the optical fiber input and the beam of light generated by the local laser block provided in the receiver are coupled and detected in a block of optical detection, which converts the optical signal that carries information into an electrical signal that carries information, which is processed in a block of electrical demodulation, which performs a differential demodulation of its in-phase and quadrature components, combining them later. An optical receiver is obtained, featuring optical homodyne detection, being coincident the wavelengths of the input signal and the tuned beam of light, with a high tolerance to the phase noise, generated by the optical communications lasers, and with no need to use an optical phase-locked loop.

Abstract: A delay device that provides a delay amount to at least one of the in-phase signal and the quadrature signal, and a delay control section that controls the delay amount provided by the delay device based on a quality of the signals when the in-phase signal and the quadrature signal, to the at least one of which the delay amount is provided, at the delay device are converted into digital signals by the analog-digital converter, and the digital signal processing is carried out at the processor are provided. Thereby, the signal quality of recovered data at a receiving end of a multi-level phase modulation communication system is improved.

Abstract: According to an aspect of an embodiment, a DQPSK optical receiver, comprising: a first LPF connected to a line branching off from between a first optical-electrical converter and a first data recovery circuit; a second LPF connected to a line branching off from between a second optical-electrical converter and a second data recovery circuit; a first LIA for amplifying a signal output from the first LPF and also limiting an amplitude of an output signal thereof; a second LIA for amplifying a signal output from the second LPF and also limiting an amplitude of an output signal thereof; a first mixer for multiplying the output signal from the first LIA by a signal output from the second LPF; and a second mixer for multiplying the output signal from the second LIA by a signal output from the first LPF.

Abstract: An optical beam synthesizer formed on a single chip is provided. It allows M-PSK modulation for both beam polarizations. The synthesizer comprises an optical pulse shaper and two M-PSK modulators for each polarization. A single-chip-integrated analyzer is provided to receive a modulated data. Analyzer comprises a pulse shaper operating as an optical sampler and a pair of 90-degrees optical hybrids for each polarization. Each optical hybrids mix incoming portions of the modulated beams with portions of the local oscillator beams. Both the synthesizer and the analyzer include a set of mirrors located on the back and front surfaces of the chips to create compact designs. The output beams from the analyzer are detected by a set of balanced photodiodes, and the data is recovered. It is another object of the invention to provide a communication system for data transmission having the synthesizer and the analyzer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for correcting of phase errors in a coherent optical receiver are disclosed. Embodiments include a method for calculating a phase error between in-phase and quadrature-phase component signals, multiplying the phase error by one of the component signals and subtracting the result from the other component signal to output a corrected signal.

Abstract: A demodulator includes: a splitter that branches a differential phase shift keying optical signal into a first branched optical signal passing through a first optical path and a second branched optical signal passing through a second optical path; a multiplexer that multiplexes the first branched optical signal having passed through the first optical path and the second branched optical signal having passed through the second optical path and makes interference between the first branched optical signal and the second branched optical signal; and a double refraction medium that reduces difference between phase differences between each polarized wave between the first branched optical signal and the second branched optical signal multiplexed by the multiplexer.

Abstract: A polarization multiplexing optical receiver includes a polarization controller configured to control a polarization state of a polarization multiplexed optical signal; a polarization splitter configured to split the polarization multiplexed optical signal for which the polarization state is controlled by the polarization controller into a first polarization signal and a second polarization signal; a first detector configured to detect an optical power of the first polarization signal and output a first optical power signal representing the optical power of the first polarization signal; a second detector configured to detect an optical power of the second polarization signal and output a second optical power signal representing the optical power of the second polarization signal; and a controller configured to control the polarization controller on the basis of the first optical power signal and the second optical power signal.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for receiving and processing optical signals carrying symbols that represent data, including an optical receiver having fractional sampling analog-to-digital conversion and interpolation timing recovery synchronization for processing an optical signal.

Abstract: An optical receiver implemented with a pre-amplifier with an additional trans-impedance able to respond to the input signal in bit-by-bit is disclosed. The optical receiver provides a photodiode to convert an optical signal into a photocurrent, a trans-impedance amplifier to convert the photocurrent to a voltage signal, and an additional trans-impedance circuit able to respond instantaneously to the voltage signal. The additional trans-impedance includes a FET whose gate is fully fixedly biased and the source thereof receives the voltage signal. The FET may bypass the current flowing in the intrinsic trans-impedance instantaneously.

Abstract: An optical receiver includes a light receiving element such as an avalanche photodiode (APD) for converting an optical signal to an electrical photocurrent amplified by a first current gain value and a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the light receiving element. The optical receiver also includes a control unit configured to control a bias voltage applied to the light receiving element such that the first gain value is adjusted to a second gain value based at least in part on a predetermined relationship between the current gain, the temperature and the applied bias voltage. The second current gain value is based at least in part on one or more parameters characteristic of the optical receiver and a system in which the optical receiver is employed.

Abstract: An optical receiver for stably reproducing packets having different light receiving levels is disclosed. The optical receiver includes: a light receiving element for outputting a current in response to a light receiving level of an optical signal; a preamplifier for converting the current signal outputted from the light receiving element into a voltage signal; a circuit for detecting a consecutive same binary symbols portion from a binary symbols stream of the voltage signal outputted from the preamplifier to output a time constant switching signal in response to a detection result thereof; a level detecting circuit for detecting a voltage level of the voltage signal outputted from the preamplifier based upon a time constant which is switched/controlled in response to the time constant switching signal; and an amplifier for amplifying an output voltage of the level detecting circuit to apply a control voltage for controlling the gain to the preamplifier.

Abstract: An optical mixing part mixing a received optical signal and local oscillator light in at least two kinds of phases and extracting at least two-system optical signals corresponding to each light phase; a photoelectric conversion part converting the at least two-system optical signals obtained in the optical mixing part into electric analog signals; an analog-to-digital conversion part converting the electric analog signals into digital signals; and a control part processing the digital signals thereby detecting a light phase difference between the respective systems in the optical mixing part and supplying a signal for correcting the light phase between the systems to the optical mixing part to control the optical mixing part so that the light phase difference becomes to zero or close to a desired value when the light phase difference has a shift from the desired value.

Abstract: An optical receiver assembly that is configured to avoid the introduction of feedback in an electrical signal converted by the assembly is disclosed. In one embodiment, an optical receiver assembly is disclosed, comprising a capacitor, an optical detector provided with a power supply being mounted on a top electrode of the capacitor, and an amplifier mounted on the reference surface. The assembly further includes an isolator interposed between the reference surface and the capacitor, wherein the isolator includes a bottom layer of dielectric material that is affixed to a portion of the reference surface, and a metallic top plate that is electrically coupled both to a ground of the amplifier and to the capacitor. This configuration bootstraps the amplifier ground to the amplifier input via the photodiode top electrode of the capacitor to cancel out feedback signals present at the amplifier ground.

Abstract: A coherent optical receiver includes a 90-degree optical hybrid circuit to which a received signal light is input, I-channel and Q-channel photo detectors to which the outputs of the hybrid circuit are input, a clock extraction circuit which reproduces a clock whose speed is the same as a demodulated signal obtained by demodulating the received signal light and which is synchronized therewith, I-channel and Q-channel sampling circuits which sample the signal outputs from the I-channel and Q-channel photo detectors by use of the clock, and a digital signal processing section which digitally processes the sampled signals, converts them to a digital signal, and outputs the digital signal. The digital signal processing section feeds a phase offset signal detected there back to the clock extraction circuit to thereby control the phase of the clock, and compensates dispersion of light within a fiber and phase fluctuation during free-space propagation.

Abstract: A photodiode receives an infrared signal transmitted from a transmitter. A current distributing unit outputs a detection current Id output from the photodiode as a first detection current Id1 and a second detection current Id2 to a subsequent first current-to-voltage conversion amplifier and a subsequent second current-to-voltage conversion amplifier respectively. The first and second current-to-voltage conversion amplifiers convert the detection currents into voltages with current-to-voltage conversion gains g1 and g2. The current-to-voltage conversion gains g1 and g2 of the first and second current-to-voltage conversion amplifiers are set such that ranges of signal levels in which the distributed detection currents Id1 and Id2 can significantly be amplified differ from each other.

Abstract: A coherent optical receiver of the invention combines local oscillator light having orthogonal polarization components in which the optical frequencies are different to each other, and received signal light, in an optical hybrid circuit, and then photoelectrically converts this in two differential photodetectors. Then this is converted to a digital signal in an AD conversion circuit, and computation processing is executed in a digital computing circuit using the digital signal, to estimate received data. At this time, the optical frequency difference between the orthogonal polarization components of the local oscillator light is set so as to be smaller than two times the signal light band width, and larger than a spectrum line width of the signal light source and the local oscillator light source. As a result, it is possible to realize a small size polarization independent coherent optical receiver that is capable of receiving high speed signal light.

Abstract: A signal equalizer for compensating impairments of an optical signal received through a link of a high speed optical communications network. At least one set of compensation vectors are computed for compensating at least two distinct types of impairments. A frequency domain processor is coupled to receive respective raw multi-bit in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) sample streams of each received polarization of the optical signal. The frequency domain processor operates to digitally process the multi-bit sample streams, using the compensation vectors, to generate multi-bit estimates of symbols modulated onto each transmitted polarization of the optical signal. The frequency domain processor exhibits respective different responses to each one of the at least two distinct types of impairments.

Abstract: A coherent optical receiver of the invention combines local oscillator light having orthogonal polarization components in which the optical frequencies are different to each other, and received signal light, in an optical hybrid circuit, and then photoelectrically converts this in two differential photodetectors. Then this is converted to a digital signal in an AD conversion circuit, and computation processing is executed in a digital computing circuit using the digital signal, to estimate received data. At this time, the optical frequency difference between the orthogonal polarization components of the local oscillator light is set so as to be smaller than two times the signal light band width, and larger than a spectrum line width of the signal light source and the local oscillator light source. As a result, it is possible to realize a small size polarization independent coherent optical receiver that is capable of receiving high speed signal light.

Abstract: In a coherent optical receiver, a method of at least partially compensating Polarization Dependent Loss (PDL) of an optical signal received through an optical communications system. A respective multi-bit sample stream of each one of a pair of orthogonal received polarizations of the optical signal is tapped, and used to derive a respective metric value indicative of a quality of each multi-bit sample stream. A gain of an analog front end of the coherent optical receiver is adjusted based on the derived metric values.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical receiver that enables to vary the sensitivity depending on the transmission speed. The optical receiver provides a photodiode to generate the photocurrent, the pre-amplifier to convert the photocurrent to the voltage signal, the lead pin to supply the bias voltage to the photodiode, and the control block to generate the switching signal for varying the current-to-voltage conversion efficiency and the frequency bandwidth of the pre-amplifier based on the control signal. The control signal is commonly provided from the lead pin through which the bias voltage is applied. The control block interprets the signal applied to the lead pin and generates the switching signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical receiver able to monitor the level of the optical input signal in accurate even when the level is quite small. The optical receiver comprises a photodiode to generate a photocurrent Ipd, a current mirror circuit to reflect the photocurrent into a mirrored current Imon, a current-to-voltage converter to convert the mirrored current Imon to a voltage signal, switch to connect/cut the current mirror circuit with the current-to-voltage converter, and a correction unit for subtracting a signal when the switch is connected from a signal when the switch is cut.

Abstract: Methods and systems for compensating a frequency mismatch ?f between a local Oscillator (LO) of a coherent optical receiver and a carrier of a received optical signal. An average frequency of the LO is controlled to compensate at least long-period variations of the frequency mismatch. An electrical carrier recovery circuit for compensating short period variations of the frequency mismatch.

Abstract: In one of many possible implementations and embodiments, a method is provided for providing linearized phase modulation and demodulation in an RF-photonic link. This includes phase modulating a photonic carrier signal in a signal arm using the RF input and using the RF output in a negative feedback phase tracking loop to modulate either the RF input modulated carrier signal in the signal arm, or a signal in a local oscillator arm. Optical signals from the signal arm and the local oscillator arm are optically coupled. The optically coupled signals are photodetected and differentally combined. The differentially combined signals are amplified to provide the RF output signal. In some implementations, the photonic carrier signal is suppressed prior to photodetection. Further, in some implementations a small portion of the local oscillator signal may be coupled with the carrier suppressed optical signal.

Abstract: Demodulating an optical Differential Phase-Shift Keying (DPSK) signal is accomplished using a self-homodyne receiver for receiving the optical signal. A converter converts the optical signal received by the self-homodyne receiver into a representative electrical signal. A processor that processes the representative electrical signal using decision feedback multi-symbol detection in order to obtain a decision variable that indicates a differential phase-shift in the optical signal.

Abstract: An apparatus, a polarization diversity receiver and a method of receiving a received optical signal. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes: (1) an optical device configured to separate in-phase and quadrature components of a received optical signal, to transmit the in-phase components to a first optical output thereof and to transmit the quadrature components to a second optical output thereof, (2) a first polarization splitter coupled to receive light at the first optical output and (3) a second polarization splitter coupled to receive light at the second optical output.

Abstract: A dynamic dispersion compensation system and method are provided. The method dynamically compensates for dispersion in an optical signal by recovering a first clock and a second clock from a first polarization component and a second polarization component of the optical signal respectively, determining a delay time between the first clock and the second clock, determining the dispersion based on the delay time and dynamically compensating for the determined dispersion. The system comprises a polarization beam splitter, a clock recoverer, a dispersion determiner and a tunable dispersion compensation module and is operable to dynamically compensate for the dispersion in an optical signal.

Abstract: In a coherent optical receiver, a frequency domain engine digitally processes at least two multi-bit sample streams of a received optical signal. The frequency domain engine includes a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) filter for computing a complex vector representative of a frequency-domain spectrum of the received optical signal. A transpose and add block computes a vector sum of the complex vector and a transposed version of the complex vector, and an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) filter computes a complex output vector from the addition result. With this arrangement, parallel real filter operations are efficiently performed on each of the multi-bit sample streams, using a single back-to-back FFT-IFFT filter structure.

Abstract: A wavelength division multiplexing optical transmission apparatus for transmitting wavelength division multiplexing optical signals, the apparatus including a plurality of optical transmitting units outputting optical signals having a different wavelength from each other, a plurality of optical intensity modulating units intensity-modulating the optical signals, and a wavelength multiplexing unit multiplexing the optical signals. The plurality of optical intensity modulating units sets the amount of wavelength chirp adapting to each wavelength of the optical signals for the optical signals outputted from each of the plurality of optical transmitting units, and the wavelength multiplexing unit multiplexes the optical signals having the amount of wavelength chirp set respectively and then outputs the multiplexed optical signals.

Abstract: A receiver for coherent detection of a PSK modulated optical carrier includes an optical detector, digital-to-analog converters, and a digital module. The optical detector is configured to mix the modulated optical carrier with two phase components of a reference optical carrier and to produce analog output signals representative of optical signals produced by said mixing. The digital-to-analog converters are connected to receive the analog output signals and to produce digital signals from the received analog output signals. The digital module is connected to receive the digital signals and to perform one of compensating the received digital signals for a conjugate phase misalignment between the mixed components, extracting phase of the received digital signals, and estimating a frequency offset between the two carriers from the received digital signals.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a receiver of the invention has an optical detector coupled to a digital processor. The optical detector is adapted to mix the received optical quadrature-amplitude modulation (QAM) signal with an optical local oscillator (LO) signal having a time-varying phase offset with respect to the carrier frequency of the QAM signal to produce two digital measures of the QAM signal. The digital processor is adapted to: (i) determine the amplitude and phase differentials for each QAM-symbol transition based on these digital measures; (ii) adjust each phase differential for an amount of phase drift associated with the time-varying phase offset; (iii) map each QAM-symbol transition onto a constellation point of a 2D decision map using the transition's amplitude differential and adjusted phase differential; and (iv) based on the mapping results, recover the data encoded in the optical QAM signal.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a receiver of the invention has a detector coupled to a digital processor. The detector is adapted to mix the received PSK signal with a local oscillator (LO) signal having a time-varying phase offset with respect to the carrier frequency of the PSK signal to produce a digital measure of the PSK signal.

Abstract: A calculation processing unit controls temperature of a Peltier device based on a slope of a waveform obtained by subtracting a waveform of a B-arm monitoring signal from a waveform of an A-arm monitoring signal and a value obtained by subtracting a value B of the B-arm monitoring signal from a value A of the A-arm monitoring signal. Similarly, the calculation processing unit controls a phase of the A-arm and a phase of the B-arm. An A-arm side micro-controller controls temperature of an A-arm side heater 22 based on the value of the A-arm monitoring signal, and controls the phase of the A-arm. A B-arm side micro-controller controls temperature of a B-arm side heater based on the value B of the B-arm monitoring signal, and controls the phase of the B-arm.

Abstract: Branches are grouped into a group 1 including first and second branches, and a group 2 including third and fourth branches. The signal after being passed through a dual pin photodiode in one branch included in the group 1 and being at the earlier stage of a CDR circuit is obtained. Also, from the later stage of the CDR circuit in the other branch in the group 1 is obtained. The obtained signals are passed through low pass filters, and an average value over a plurality of symbols is obtained. The signal from the earlier stage of the CDR circuit is multiplied by the signal from the later stage, and they are averaged. The obtained value reflects the phase difference of the two delay interferometers in the group 1. The group 2 is monitored by using the same method.

Abstract: An optical heterodyne receiver and a method of extracting data from a phase-modulated input optical signal. In one embodiment, the optical heterodyne receiver includes: (1) a photonic quadrature demodulator having first and second optical inputs and first and second electrical outputs and configured to generate at the first and second electrical outputs an in-phase signal and a quadrature-phase signal, respectively, in response to receiving a modulated optical signal at the first optical input and a reference optical oscillator signal at the second optical input, (2) a passive radio frequency single sideband demodulator coupled to the photonic quadrature demodulator and configured to extract at least one sideband of the in-phase signal or the quadrature-phase signal and (3) at least one analog-to-digital converter coupled to the passive radio frequency single sideband demodulator and configured to receive and sample the at least one sideband.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical transceiver to reduce a crosstalk in sufficient. The optical receiving unit of the invention includes an O/E-converter, a signal processing unit, and an offset voltage setting unit. The input of the signal processing unit, connected to the output of the O/E-converter, receives an electrical signal from the O/E-converter. The offset voltage VOFF of the signal processing unit is kept constant, independent of the phase difference between signal in the optical transmitting unit and in the optical receiving unit, by the offset voltage setting unit.

Abstract: Techniques to control an optical receiver having a control loop using Bit Error Rate (BER). In one implementation, a bit error rate (BER) associated with a received optical signal is determined. Indication of the BER to a control loop adapted is provided to adjust the optical signal in a manner tending to reduce the BER. The received optical signal is adapted in a manner tending to increase the BER such that the control loop operates within an active control region.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for calibrating orthogonal polarity in a multichannel optical transport network (OTN) receiver. The method accepts a composite signal and separates the polarization of the signal into a pair of 2n-phase shift keying (2n-PSK) modulated input signals via Ix and Qx optical signal paths, where n?1. Likewise, a pair of 2p-PSK modulated input signals are accepted via Iy and Qy optical signal paths where p?1. Polarization-adjusted I?x, Q?x, I?y, and Q?y signals are generated. An average magnitude is compared to either 2×the absolute magnitude of (I?x and Q?x), or 2×the absolute magnitude of (I?y and Q?y). The average magnitude value can be used that is either 2×(a predetermined peak signal amplitude), or the sum of the absolute magnitudes of (I?x and Q?x) and (I?y and Q?y). The polarization-adjusted I?x, Q?x, I?y, and Q?y signals are modified until the magnitude comparison is about zero.

Abstract: A transimpedance amplifier (TIA) circuit usable for burst mode communications is provided. The TIA circuit includes a TIA stage, a limiter-amplifier, and a DC restoration loop. The invention overcomes problems of the prior art relating to burst communications, such as a DC level in the output signal which can change from burst to burst and a duty-cycle distortion in large signals. This is achieved by using a DC restoration loop that ensures achieving zero DC potential within variable acquisition periods.

Abstract: An optical data signal can be sampled by linearly combining the optical data signal with optical sampling pulses, and delivering the combination to first and second balanced detectors. The optical data signal and the optical sampling pulse are configured to have a first phase difference at the first balanced detector and a second phase difference at the second balanced detector. Typically, a difference between the first phase difference and the second phase difference is configured to be about 90 degrees. In-phase and quadrature balanced detector outputs can be combined as a sum of squares to produce a linear sampling signal representative of data signal intensity, and the sample pulses can be configured to temporally step through the optical data signal so that a sampled representation of the optical data signal is obtained.

Abstract: A receiver for an OTDM/PDM pulse train (10) in which the pulses (12) have alternating polarizations (P1, P2) has a polarization insensitive optical switch (16; 161, 162, 163, 164) for isolating optical pulses (10?) within the pulse train (10), and a polarization selective element (17) for separating from the isolated pulses (10?) at least one component that has a single polarization. This allows to considerable relax the constraints posed on the switch since components in the isolated pulses that result from interchannel interference can, at least to a large extent, be eliminated by the subsequent polarization selective element (17).

Abstract: Methods and systems for PMD compensation in an optical communication system are implemented by transmitting multiple optical signals through a common optical conduit to an optical compensator that adjustably rotates the polarization states of the multiple optical signals and transmits the rotated optical signals to an optical receiver. The receiver, upon sensing an excessive error condition, commands the optical compensator to change the polarization state of rotation, which changes the PMD profile of the received optical signals.

Abstract: A system and method for superheterodyne detection in accordance with the invention. The system comprises a first conversion unit for performing a first heterodyne operation on an optical input signal to generate an electrical IF signal. A second conversion unit is electrically or optically coupled to the first conversion unit. The second conversion unit performs a second heterodyne operation to generate an electrical output signal suitable for signal processing.

Abstract: Systems and methods for use with an optical communication beam are disclosed. The system allows the beam of light to operate at an adequate power level that provides a robust optical link while minimizing any safety risk to humans. The system calibrates and controls the gain for an avalanche photodiode detector (APD). A detector circuit is used to calibrate the APD. Once calibrated, the detector circuit further provides an electrical bias to the APD to process or condition the electrical signal to produce a detector output. The systems and methods disclosed herein attenuate the power level of an incoming communication beam to prevent oversaturation of an APD. The system further provides an alignment signal, which is effective over a wide dynamic range of incoming power levels.