System comprising a device necessitating the reception of linearly polarized beams and corresponding method

A system according to the above claim, comprising at least:

• one polarization switch downline from said device, and
• one element for superposing polarization in open space downline from the polarization switch.

A system according to one of the above claims, wherein the splitting element splits each entering beam into two routes corresponding to two polarization states, orthogonal or almost orthogonal.

A system according to one of the above claims, wherein said device carries out an identical processing on the two states of one and the same initial beam.

A system according to the above claim, wherein said device is a multiple delay-creation device with polarization switches.

A system according to the above claim, wherein said multiple delay-creation device with polarization switches comprises at least the following, in common, on both routes:

• en polarization switches CPi (1≦i≦n),
• n polarization splitters/recombiners SPi (1≦i≦n),
• n delay devices Ri (1≦i≦n).

A system according to one of the above claims, wherein said polarization switch reorganizes the polarization states of the beams processed at output of said device so as to enable their recombination by the superposing element.

A system according to one of the above claims, wherein said element for superposing polarization in open space recombines the beams for which the two polarization states have been reorganized by the polarization switch.

A method comprising a step for the processing of linearly polarized beams, the method comprising at least the splitting of polarizations in open space achieved prior to said processing step.

A method according to the above claim, comprising at least the following steps:

• an additional polarization switching achieved after said processing step, and
• the superposing of polarization in open space achieved after said additional switching step.

A method according to the above claim, wherein the processing step is a multiple delay-creation step with polarization switching.