Ii-vi Delaware, Inc.

The University of Sydney

Ian Grainge Clarke

Massimo Di Blasio

A free-space optical communication system has a conversion assembly, a fiber array, and a wavelength selective switch (WSS) assembly. The conversion assembly converts circular polarization states of incoming optical signals to linear polarization states and converts linear polarization states to circular polarization states for outgoing optical signals. The fiber array has polarization-maintaining (PM) optical fibers arranged in optical communication between the conversion assembly and the WSS assembly to preserve the linear polarization states of the optical signals. The WSS assembly has free-space optics, such as dispersion element and beam-steering element, with optical axes arranged relative to the PM optical fibers. The WSS assembly selectively switches WDM channels of the optical signals relative to the PM optical fibers. Fast and slow axes of the PM optical fibers are aligned to the optical axes of the free-space optics.

Polarization-maintaining wavelength selective switch for free-space optical communication

A current sensor which makes use of the Faraday effect, which is patterned on a Sagnac interferometer and which employs a coil of spun birefringent optical fibre for sensing the magnitude of current flowing through a conductor about which the sensor is, in use, located. The sensor in its preferred form comprises a coil (1) of spun single mode birefringent optical fibre (11), the coil being arranged to locate about a conductor (12) through which current flow occurs. A beam splitting device (22) in the form of a 3*3 coupler is coupled with the ends of the coil fibre and is arranged to launch counter-propagating light beams into the respective ends of the coil fibre. A lasing light source (16) is optically coupled to the beam splitting device by way of a 2*2 coupler (21), and detectors (18) which are arranged to detect a phase shift between the polarisation modes of the counter-propagated light beams are optically coupled to the ends of the coil fibre by way of the beam splitting device.

Growing community of inventors

Sydney, Australia

Ian Grainge Clarke