Dispersion Compensator and Method of Dispersion Compensation

A dispersion compensator comprising:

• a polarized beam splitter (PBS) disposed, operative, and/or configured for receiving and reflecting a light beam having a first instance of S-linear polarization;
• a first quarter-wave-plate disposed, operative, and/or configured for passing the light beam reflected by the PBS in a first direction through the first quarter-wave-plate;
• a first reflector disposed, operative, and/or configured for reflecting the light beam passed through the first quarter-wave-plate in the first direction back through the first quarter-wave-plate in a second, opposite direction, wherein the light beam reflected by the first reflector back through the first quarter-wave-plate in the second, opposite direction exits the first quarter-wave-plate with a P-linear polarization and passes through the PBS;
• a second quarter-wave-plate disposed, operative, and/or configured for passing the light beam having the P-linear polarization that is passed through the PBS in a first direction through the second quarter-wave-plate;
• and
• a second reflector disposed, operative, and/or configured for reflecting the light beam passed through the second quarter-wave-plate in the first direction back through the second quarter-wave-plate in a second, opposite direction, wherein the light beam reflected by the second reflector back through the second quarter-wave-plate in the second, opposite direction exits the second quarter-wave-plate with a second instance of S-linear polarization and is reflected by the PBS, wherein:
• the first or second reflector comprises a chirped volume Bragg grating (CVBG), wherein the CVBG reflects spectral components of the reflected light beam at different depths of propagation of said spectral components into the CVBG thereby introducing a delay between said reflected spectral components of the reflected light beam.