General Photonics Corporation

California Institute of Technology

Other

X Steve Yao

Lianshan Yan

Yongqiang Shi

Jane Chen

Xiaojun James Chen

Lute Maleki

Shouhua Huang

Meirong Tu

Techniques and devices for depolarizing light and producing a variable differential group delays in optical signals. In one implementation, an input optical beam is split into first and second beams with orthogonal polarizations. One or two optical reflectors are then used to cause the first and second optical beams to undergo different optical path lengths before they are recombined into a single output beam. An adjustment mechanism may used implemented to adjust the difference in the optical path lengths of the first and second beams to produce a variable DGD. When the depolarization of light is desired, the difference in the optical path lengths of the first and second beams is set to be greater than the coherence length of the input optical beam.

Optical depolarizers and DGD generators based on optical delay

This application describes devices and techniques for dynamically controlling polarization light at one or more locations along the optical transmission path to reduce optical noise and PMD in the optical signal. One device according to an implementation includes a polarization controller to receive an optical signal and operable to control polarization of the optical signal in response to a control signal, a fixed optical polarizer to receive output from the optical polarization controller and to produce an output optical signal, and a circuit to receive a fraction of the output optical signal from the fixed optical polarizer and operable to produce the control signal in response to an output power level of the output optical signal which controls the polarization controller to maximize the output power level.

Reduction of noise and polarization mode dispersion (PMD) based on optical polarization stabilizer in fiber transmission

Devices and their operations to use multiple adjustable differential group delay (DGD) elements in various applications including tunable PMD emulators and compensators for producing different PMD profiles with an adjustable average DGD value.

Importance sampling techniques based on adjustable differential group delay (DGD) elements

Techniques and devices that use polarization rotation and optical interferometry to provide optical spectrum analysis of an optical signal.

Optical spectrum analysis using optical interferometry

Devices and techniques that use a polarization controller and a feedback control to the polarization controller to systematically control the polarization of light output from the polarization controller in measuring the polarization dependent loss (PDL) of an optical device or material that receives the light from the polarization controller or the degree of polarization (DOP) of a light beam directed into the polarization controller.

Measurements of polarization-dependent loss (PDL) and degree of polarization (DOP) using optical polarization controllers

Devices and techniques for generating and analyzing states of polarization in light using multiple adjustable polarization rotators in various applications.

Polarization measurement and self-calibration based on multiple tunable optical polarization rotators

Polarimeters based on transversal division of the input beam and use of different polarization elements in different polarization states to change polarizations of different portions of the input beam so that the power levels of the different portions of the input beam can be measured to determine the polarization state of the input beam. A wedged substrate can be used to direct the different portions of the input beam at different directions and a lens can be used to focus these different portions at different locations at a plane.

Low cost polametric detector

This application describes techniques for optical multiplexing and demultiplexing in optical communication systems based on polarization multiplexing of different signal channels.

Optical communications based on optical polarization multiplexing and demultiplexing

This application teaches various implementations of methods and in-line polarimeters with free-space sampling elements to sample four sample beams for determining the polarization state of input light. In one exemplary implementation, a device in this application includes four optical polarization analyzers arranged in series to form an optical path in free space to split four sample beams with four different states of polarization from an input optical beam propagating along the optical path. Each optical polarization analyzer transmits a majority of the input optical beam along the optical path and splits a fraction of the input beam as a respective sample beam. The device also includes four optical detectors respectively positioned in optical paths of the four sample beams to convert the sample beams into four detector signals indicative of optical power levels of the four different states of polarization, respectively.

In-line optical polarimeter using free-space polarization sampling elements

Techniques and devices for monitoring polarization of light using at least two polarization elements where the difference between the outputs of the two polarization elements are used to monitor a change in polarization.

Sensitive polarization monitoring and controlling

Tunable PMD emulators and compensators for producing different PMD profiles with an adjustable average DGD value.

Tunable PMD emulators and compensators

Optical instrument and measurements using multiple tunable optical polarization rotators

Optical devices with folded optical paths to reduce size of optical devices and optical elements in the optical devices. The folded optical paths operate by manipulating optical polarization of light. Exemplary optical switches and variable optical attenuators are described.

Growing community of inventors

Diamond Bar, CA, United States of America

X Steve Yao