Method and apparatus for controlling the power level in an optical regenerator
AssigneeFitel USA Corp.
InventorCarsten Gudmann Joergensen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical regenerator enabling matching of self-phase modulation induced spectral broadening and optical regenerator filter center wavelengths and bandwidths for different fiber dispersion values. The regenerator monitors the central part of an input signal spectrum at the output of a non-linear medium and suppresses the power at the center wavelength to allow for a constant spectral broadening for different fiber dispersion values. The regenerator utilizes a control filter to control a variable amplifier via a feedback loop, and the variable amplifier adjusts the power of the signal launched into the non-linear medium to ensure a sufficient self-phase modulation broadened spectrum.
Claims20
An optical signal regenerator, comprising:
- a variable optical amplifier, wherein said variable optical amplifier is operable to accept an optical data stream, having an input carrier frequency, from a transmission medium and further operable to amplify said optical data stream;
- a nonlinear medium (NLM) having an NLM inlet operable to accept said amplified optical data stream, said NLM utilizing the effect of self-phase modulation (SPM) to induce a signal spectral bandwidth broadening in said amplified optical data stream;
- a bandpass filter (BPF) coupled to said NLM and having a center frequency and a bandwidth, wherein said bandwidth passes frequencies other than said input carrier frequency;
- and
- a control filter coupled to said NLM, wherein said control filter has a bandwidth that passes frequencies including said input carrier frequency,
- wherein said control filter comprises an outlet coupled to said variable optical amplifier to adjust the amplification of said variable optical amplifier.
A method for optical signal regeneration, comprising:
- amplifying a data stream through a variable amplifier, wherein said data stream comprises an input carrier frequency;
- transmitting said amplified data stream through a nonlinear medium (NLM) having an NLM inlet operable to accept said amplified data stream, wherein said NLM induces a signal spectral bandwidth broadening in said amplified data stream using self-phase modulation (SPM);
- filtering said amplified, spectrally broadened data stream through a bandpass filter (BPF) having a center frequency and a bandwidth, wherein said bandwidth passes frequencies other than said input carrier frequency;
- and
- filtering said amplified, spectrally broadened data stream through a control filter coupled to said NLM, wherein said control filter has a bandwidth that passes frequencies including said input carrier frequency, and
- adjusting the amplification of said variable amplifier based on an output of said control filter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.