Dorsal Networks, Inc.

Broadwing Corporation

Thomas R Clark, Jr

William Shieh

Vladimir Petricevic

Zhengchen Yu

Michael L Dennis

Antonios Seas

Roger Dorsinville

A device and method for reducing amplified Rayleigh backscatter at a Raman pump. A pump assembly for an optical amplifier includes a set of pump radiation sources for Raman pumping an optical transmission span. Each pump radiation source is adapted to produce radiation having a pump wavelength and a pump power. The optical transmission span is adapted to provide Raman amplification of an optical data signal when pumped by the set of pump radiation sources. At least one optical isolator is selectively located between at least one selected pump radiation source and the optical transmission span to reduce amplified Rayleigh backscatter at the pump wavelength of the selected pump radiation source from feeding back into the selected at least one pump radiation source.

Device and method for reducing pump laser instability due to amplified rayleigh scattering feedback

A method for maintaining amplifier saturation in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical network having a plurality of sub-bands, each sub-band including at least two signal channels which carry respective data signals, and a plurality of substitute signal transmitters, each substitute signal transmitter generating a substitute signal and corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of sub-bands, includes identifying signal channels having a predetermined characteristic within each of the plurality of sub-bands. A substitute signal transmitter is turned on if the sub-band corresponding to the substitute signal transmitter includes a predetermined number of signal channels having said predetermined characteristic. The data signals and the substitute signals are combined into a WDM signal, and the WDM signal is transmitted over an optical transmission fiber.

Methods of signal substitution for maintenance of amplifier saturation

A wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical network includes a plurality of optical transmitters, each optical transmitter generating a data signal sent over a respective one of a plurality of signal channels, the plurality of signal channels being divided into a number of sub-bands where each sub-band includes at least two signal channels, and a plurality of substitute signal transmitters, the number of substitute signal transmitters being equal to the number of sub-bands, each substitute signal transmitter generating a substitute signal which provides loading in a corresponding sub-band. The WDM optical network also includes a combining circuit which combines the data signals output from the plurality of optical transmitters and the substitute signals output from the plurality of substitute signal transmitters into a WDM signal, and an optical transmission fiber which receives the WDM signal from the combining circuit.

Terminals having sub-band substitute signal control in optical communication systems

An optical coupler system is described. The optical coupler system is for coupling radiation from a plurality of radiation sources. The optical coupler system comprises a first optical coupler having at least a first and a second input and a first and a second output. The optical coupler also comprises a second optical coupler having at least a first and a second input and a first and a second output, wherein the first and second outputs of the first optical coupler are connected to the first and second inputs, respectively, of the second optical coupler via first and second optical links, and wherein the first and second links provide different optical paths between the first and second optical couplers such that portions of radiation energy that is input to the first input of the first optical coupler are combined incoherently at the first output of said second optical coupler.

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, MD, United States of America

Thomas R Clark, Jr