Claims
- 1. A method of producing a wavelength shift in an incoming optical signal, comprising:
transparently producing a coherent temporal array of optical signals (CTAS) from the incoming optical signal; broadening the signals of the CTAS to produce a interference pattern by transmitting the CTAS through a dispersive medium; and selectively transmitting a peak of the interference pattern to an output terminal, a center wavelength of the transmitted peak having a selected wavelength shift with respect to a wavelength of the incoming optical signal.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of producing comprises:
splitting the incoming optical signal into optical signals directed into separate optical conduits; and changing an index of refraction of a portion of one of the optical conduits.
- 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of producing further comprises:
applying an electrical control voltage across a portion of the one of the optical conduits; and wherein the index of refraction is responsive to the applied voltage.
- 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of producing further comprises:
transmitting a control optical signal down a portion of the one of the optical conduits; and wherein the index of refraction is responsive to light intensities in the one of the optical conduits.
- 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
producing a second CTAS from a second incoming optical signal; broadening the signals of the second CTAS to produce a second interference pattern by transmitting the second CTAS through the dispersive medium; and selectively transmitting a peak of the second interference pattern with a second selected wavelength shift.
- 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts of producing CTAS's comprise:
splitting each incoming signal into signals directed into a separate optical conduits; and changing an index of refraction of a portion of one of the optical conduits to first and second values in splitting the first incoming optical signal and splitting the second incoming optical signal, respectively.
- 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of selectively transmitting comprises sending the interference pattern into an amplitude discriminator.
- 8. A method of producing a wavelength shift in an incoming optical signal, comprising:
transparently producing a coherent temporal array of optical signals (CTAS) from the incoming optical signal; broadening the signals of the CTAS to produce a interference pattern by transmitting the incoming optical signal through a dispersive medium; and selectively transmitting a peak of the interference pattern to an output terminal, a center wavelength of the transmitted peak having a selected wavelength shift with respect to a wavelength of the incoming optical signal.
- 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of producing comprises:
splitting the incoming optical signal into optical signals directed into separate optical conduits; and changing an index of refraction of a portion of one of the optical conduits.
- 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the act of producing further comprises:
applying an electrical control voltage across a portion of the one of the optical conduits; and wherein the index of refraction is responsive to the applied voltage.
- 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the act of producing further comprises:
transmitting a control optical signal down a portion of the one of the optical conduits; and wherein the index of refraction is responsive to light intensities in the one of the optical conduits.
- 12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
producing a second CTAS from a second incoming optical siqnal; broadening the signals of the second CTAS to produce a second interference pattern by transmitting the second incoming optical signal through the dispersive medium; and selectively transmitting a peak of the second interference pattern with a second selected wavelength shift.
- 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the acts of producing CTAS's comprise:
splitting each incoming signal into signals directed into a separate optical conduits; and changing an index of refraction of a portion of one of the optical conduits to first and second values in splitting the first incoming optical signal and splitting the second incoming optical signal, respectively.
- 14. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of selectively transmitting comprises sending the interference pattern into an amplitude discriminator.
- 15. A method of switching optical signals in a network, comprising:
receiving an optical signal from a first optical conduit of the network; transparently shifting a wavelength of the received optical signal; and transmitting the optical signal with the shifted wavelength to a second optical conduit of the network.
- 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
transmitting the optical signal having the shifted wavelength to a wavelength division multiplexer coupled to the second optical conduit.
- 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of transparently shifting a wavelength comprises:
producing a coherent temporal array of optical signals (CTAS) from a received optical signal; broadening the signals of the CTAS to produce a interference pattern by transmitting the CTAS through a dispersive medium; and selectively transmitting a peak of the interference pattern, the transmitted peak having the shifted wavelength.
- 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of transparently shifting a wavelength comprises:
producing a coherent temporal array of optical signals (CTAS) from a received optical signal; broadening the signals of the CTAS to produce a interference pattern by transmitting the received optical signal through a dispersive medium; and selectively transmitting a peak of the interference pattern, the transmitted peak having the shifted wavelength.
- 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of producing comprises:
splitting the received signal into signals directed into separate optical conduits; and changing an index of refraction of a portion of one of the optical conduits.
- 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of receiving includes transmitting the received optical signal through a many port to one port optical coupler prior to the act of transparently shifting.
- 21. An apparatus for routing optical pulses, comprising:
a variable temporal splitter (VTS) capable of transparently producing a coherent temporal array of pulses (CTAP) from an incoming optical pulse; a dispersive medium coupled serially to the VTS and capable of broadening the pulses of the CTAP to overlap and form an interference pattern with a plurality of peaks; and a 1×M wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) coupled to receive one of the peaks.
- 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the dispersive medium is coupled to the input terminal of the VTS.
- 23. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:
an intensity discriminator coupled to receive the interference pattern and to transmit one of the peaks to the WDM.
- 24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:
an optical bandwidth enhancer coupled to an input terminal of the VTS.
- 25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the VTS comprises:
an amplitude splitter coupled to receive the incoming optical pulse; and a plurality of optical conduits, each conduit coupled to receive a portion of the incoming optical pulse from the amplitude splitter, one of the optical conduits having a serial element with a variable index of refraction.
- 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the serial element further comprises:
a segment of optical conduit having an index of refraction that depends on a value of an applied voltage.
- 27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the serial element further comprises:
a segment of optical conduit comprising a nonlinear optical material having index of refraction that depends on a light intensity in the segment.
- 28. An optical switch, comprising:
a variable wavelength shifter (VWS) to transparently shift a wavelength of a received optical pulse; and a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) coupled to receive optical pulses with shifted wavelengths from the VWS.
- 29. The optical switch of claim 28, further comprising:
an N×1 optical coupler to transmit received optical pulses to the VWS.
- 30. The optical switch of claim 28, wherein the VWS comprises:
a variable temporal splitter (VTS); and a dispersive medium serially connected to the VTS, the dispersive medium capable of causing interference between pulses of coherent temporal arrays of pulses produced by the VTS.
- 31. The optical switch of claim 29,
wherein the N×1 optical coupler includes a second WDM.
- 32. The optical switch of claim 31, wherein the optical switch is a bi-directional switch.
- 33. The optical switch of claim 31, further comprising:
a second VWS coupled between the two WDM's with an inversed orientation with respect to the first VWS.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/282,880, filed Mar. 31, 1999, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/117,146, filed Jan. 25, 1999.
[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/126,730, filed Mar. 29, 1999, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/143,010, filed Jul. 9, 1999.
Government Interests
[0003] The U.S. Government has non-exclusive rights in this invention pursuant to contract number F19628-95-C-0002 awarded by DARPA and AF.
Provisional Applications (3)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60117146 |
Jan 1999 |
US |
|
60126730 |
Mar 1999 |
US |
|
60143010 |
Jul 1999 |
US |
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09405262 |
Sep 1999 |
US |
Child |
10160535 |
May 2002 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09282880 |
Mar 1999 |
US |
Child |
09405262 |
Sep 1999 |
US |