Lucent Technologies Inc.

Alcatel Lucent

Alcatel-lucent USA Inc.

Lgs Innovations LLC

Mihaela Dinu

Howard Roy Stuart

James Albert Walker

Roland Ryf

Gang Chen

Daniel Charles Kilper

Chunhui Xu

Frieder Heinrich Baumann

Xiang Liu

Wayne Harvey Knox

Clinton R Giles

Dan Mark Marom

Randy Clinton Giles

Robert Scott Windeler

Christophe Jean Dorrer

Jane Deborah LeGrange

Inuk Kang

Alex Pidwerbetsky

Charles Kerbage

Hernando Garcia

Francesco Quochi

Christophe J Dorrer

A slot waveguide for electro-optic modulation is provided. The slot waveguide includes a slot and Bragg gratings defined by outer walls of the slot. The Bragg gratings are configured to slow an optical signal. The slot defines a low-refractive index region and the Bragg gratings spaced apart by the slot define a high-refractive index region. The slot waveguide includes a pair of electrodes extending parallel and adjacent to the slot waveguide. The electrodes are configured to carry an electrical modulation signal to induce a change in a phase of the optical signal. The slot of the slot waveguide is at least partially filled with an electro-optic polymeric material poled in a direction orthogonal to a direction of propagation of the optical signal in the slot waveguide.

Integrated low-voltage CMOS-compatible electro-optic modulator

A spatial light modulator comprising an array-type liquid crystal panel, a polarization beam splitter, an oblique wave plate and a converging lens. The polarization beam splitter is orientated to direct a source light towards a reflective planar surface of the array-type liquid crystal panel. The oblique wave plate and converging lens are located between the polarization beam splitter and the array-type liquid crystal panel. The converging lens is configured to direct light from the reflective planar surface onto a facing surface of the polarization beam splitter.

Light modulator for optical image projection

A spatial light modulatorcomprising an array-type liquid crystal panel, a polarization beam splitter, an oblique wave plateand a converging lens. The polarization beam splitter is orientated to direct a source lighttowards a reflective planar surfaceof the array-type liquid crystal panel. The oblique wave plate and converging lens are located between the polarization beam splitter and the array-type liquid crystal panel. The converging lens is configured to direct light from the reflective planar surface onto a facing surfaceof the polarization beam splitter.

A communication system adapted to use wavelength (frequency) division multiplexing for quantum-key distribution (QKD) and having a transmitter coupled to a receiver via a transmission link. In one embodiment, the receiver is adapted to (i) phase-shift a local oscillator (LO) signal generated at the receiver, (ii) combine the LO signal with a quantum-information (QI) signal received via the transmission link from the transmitter to produce interference signals, (iii) measure an intensity difference for these interference signals, and (iv) phase-lock the LO signal to the QI signal based on the measurement result. In one configuration, the QI signal has a plurality of pilot frequency components, each carrying a training signal, and a plurality of QKD frequency components, each carrying quantum key data. Advantageously, the system can maintain a phase lock for the QKD frequency components of the QI and LO signals, while the QKD frequency components of the QI signal continuously carry quantum key data.

Phase locking in a multi-channel quantum communication system

An optical performance monitor (OPM), e.g., for use in an optical network. The OPM may be configured to characterize one or more impairments in an optical signal modulated with data. The OPM has an optical autocorrelator configured to sample the autocorrelation function of the optical signal, e.g., using two-photon absorption. Autocorrelation points at various bit delays independently or in combination with average optical power may be used to detect and/or quantify one or more of the following: loss of data modulation, signal contrast, pulse broadening, peak power fluctuations, timing jitter, and deviations from the pseudo-random character of data. In addition, the OPM may be configured to perform Fourier transformation based on the autocorrelation points to obtain corresponding spectral components. The spectral components may be used to detect and/or quantify one or more of chromatic dispersion, polarization mode dispersion, and misalignment of a pulse carver and data modulator. The OPM may be further configured to generate feedback, e.g., to network operators to improve network performance.

Performance monitoring in an optical communication system

An optical performance monitor (OPM) adapted to (i) sample an autocorrelation function corresponding to an optical signal transmitted in an optical network and (ii) based on the sampling, characterize two or more impairments concurrently present in the optical signal. In one embodiment, the OPM has an optical autocorrelator (OAC) coupled to a signal processor (SP). The OAC receives the optical signal from the network, generates two or more samples of its autocorrelation function, and applies said samples to the SP. The SP processes the samples and generates two or more signal metrics. Based on the signal metrics and reference data corresponding to the impairments, the SP then obtains a measure of each of the impairments.

Performance monitoring based on optical autocorrelation

An optical device has at least one waveguide with at least one adjacent resonator, where the distance between the resonator and the waveguide can be controllably adjusted to change the optical coupling between the resonator and the waveguide. When implemented as part of an interferometer, the ability to adjust the waveguide/resonator distance&#x2014;and thereby the optical coupling between them&#x2014;provides a mechanically tunable interferometer.

Mechanically tunable optical devices such as interferometers

An optical device including a microstructured fiber pumped by an external pulsed-light source. In one embodiment, the microstructured fiber includes two waist regions functioning as a tunable attenuator and a wavelength shifter, respectively. Output wavelength of the optical device is selected by attenuating the pump light in the first waist region and then passing the light through the second waist region to shift the pump energy to a new spectral band. An optical device of the invention configured with two or more microstructured fibers generates two or more synchronized pulsed beams, each at a different characteristic wavelength. Certain embodiments of the invention provide an inexpensive, compact, energy-efficient multi-wavelength synchronized pulsed-light source.

Optical device for generating pulsed light

In accordance with the invention, a tunable, reconfigurable optical add-drop filter comprises a pair of optical waveguides optically coupled by a microring or microdisk resonator wherein the coupling distance between the resonator and at least one of the waveguides is micromechanically controllable. With this arrangement, the degree of coupling can be tuned after fabrication to provide high level extinction of dropped wavelengths and the filter can be dynamically reconfigured. Advantageously, laser radiation is provided to tune the resonant wavelength.

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Freehold, NJ, United States of America

Mihaela Dinu