On-chip bidirectional pulse compressor and optical system

An optical system comprising:

• a pulse emitter operable to emit a pulse within a predetermined operating wavelength ranges;
• a pulse receiver;
• an on-chip bidirectional pulse compressor disposed along a transmission path between the pulse emitter and the pulse receiver, the on-chip bidirectional pulse compressor comprising
• a substrate,
• a nonlinear waveguide disposed on the substrate, wherein the nonlinear waveguide is dimensioned and made of a material to induce a nonlinear response within the predetermined operating wavelength ranges, wherein the material of the nonlinear waveguide is free of two-photon absorption at the predetermined operating wavelength ranges,
• an anomalous dispersive component disposed on the substrate, wherein the nonlinear waveguide and the anomalous dispersive component are interconnected for bidirectional pulse propagation,
• a first input/output interface associated with the nonlinear waveguide, and
• a second input/output interface associated with the anomalous dispersive component;
• and
• a transmission path switching mechanism configured to switch between a first transmission path and a second transmission path,
• wherein, in the first transmission path, the pulse emitter emits the pulse to the first input/output interface for propagating the pulse through the on-chip bidirectional pulse compressor in a first propagation direction through the nonlinear waveguide followed by the anomalous dispersive component, wherein the nonlinear waveguide induces self-phase modulation to broaden a spectrum of the pulse and the anomalous dispersive element subsequently induces anomalous dispersion to temporally shift frequency component of the broadened spectrum towards a centre of the pulse in a manner so as to output a temporally compressed pulse from the second input/output interface to the pulse receiver,
• wherein, in the second transmission path, the pulse emitter emits the pulse to the second input/output interface for propagating the pulse through the on-chip bidirectional pulse compressor in a second propagation direction through the anomalous dispersive component followed by the nonlinear waveguide, wherein the anomalous dispersive component induces anomalous dispersion on the pulse to temporally shift frequency component of a spectrum of the pulse such that higher frequency components of the spectrum advance ahead relative to lower frequency components of the spectrum and the nonlinear waveguide subsequently induces self-phase modulation to redshift the higher frequency components of the spectrum which are leading and blueshift the lower frequency components of the spectrum which are trailing in a manner so as to output a spectrally compressed pulse from the first input/output interface to the pulse receiver.