Electrical detector for adaptive control of chromatic dispersion in optical systems

An apparatus for compensating for chromatic dispersion in an optical signal, comprising:

• a detector which converts at least a portion of the optical signal into an electrical signal having a plurality of frequency components;
• a controller which receives an output from said detector, wherein said detector outputs a measure of the chromatic dispersion present in said optical signal based on a comparison of a power level of each of said frequency components to that of an ideal optical signal with no chromatic dispersion;
• and
• a dispersion compensator which introduces corrective chromatic dispersion based on commands from said controller.

A method for compensating for chromatic dispersion in an optical signal, the method comprising:

• converting at least a portion of the optical signal into an electrical signal having a plurality of frequency components;
• comparing each of said frequency components of said electrical signal with those of an ideal optical signal having no chromatic dispersion;
• and
• introducing corrective chromatic dispersion into the optical signal based on said comparing, so that chromatic dispersion is zero in said optical signal.