Nanosecond thermal fiber switch using a Sagnac interferometer

We demonstrate a new, fast, and stable all-optical fiber switch based on the TOAD principle. It utilizes a transient thermal phase shift induced by a short pump pulse to cause switching in a cobalt (Co)-doped fiber placed in a Sagnac fiber loop. Switched pulses as short as 7-ns were observed in a 2-m loop containing a 2.55-cm length of Co-doped fiber pumped with 12-ns pulses. Compared to other all-optical switches using doped fibers, this switch offers a dramatic increase in speed and stability, and a sizable reduction in fiber length requirement     

Nonlinear switching behaviours in a compact all-semiconductoroptical-amplifier Sagnac interferometer device

Nonlinear switching effects in a GaAs-AlGaAs all-semiconductor optical-amplifier loop device with a multimode interference waveguide amplifier (MMIWA) for closing the loop was investigated experimentally and numerically. The miniaturized device, designed to imitate a nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM), has a latency more than one hundred times smaller than that of a NOLM. Also, because it used an MMIWA for replacing a coupler in a conventional NOLM, its operation was quite different from that previously reported. In CW signal operation, the nonlinear switching behaviour resulted from the combined effect of nonlinear coupling in the MMIWA and the amplification and lateral field redistribution of the signal through the loop structure. Efficient self-switching and cross-polarized switching were observed. Numerical simulations showed consistent trends in varying device parameters     

Effects of crosstalk and timing jitter on all-optical time-divisiondemultiplexing using a nonlinear fiber Sagnac interferometer switch

All-optical time-division demultiplexing using a nonlinear fiber Sagnac interferometer switch (NSIS) is studied with respect to the two main causes that degrade the bit-error-rate (BER) performance: crosstalk and timing jitter. It is shown that unwanted cross-phase-modulation in the reference signal which counter-propagates to the control pulse, as well as the poor extinction of the switch itself, seriously degrades the extinction ratio of the switch, thus increasing the crosstalk from other channels. Numerical calculations clarify the effect of the switching window width, window shape, and the multiplexed channel number on the power penalty in terms of BER performance. Timing jitter between the signal and control pulses is investigated as another degradation factor that causes an error floor in BER performance. It is found that the minimum BER is obtained when the window width is set to the time slot width and the rms value of the jitter must be less than 1/14.1 times the time slot width to ensure that BER<10^-12. To confirm this analysis, precise measurements of BER performance with NSIS-based demultiplexing are performed using amplified gain-switched laser diode pulses, as the relative timing jitter, switching window width, and multiplexed channel number are varied. Good agreement with the analysis is shown. Finally, optimum system design based on a small power penalty and low error floor is described. It is shown that the NSIS has the potential of demultiplexing a 160-Gb/s or 320-Gb/s optical data stream into its 40-Gb/s constituents with only a 4-dB or 7-dB power penalty     

All optical signal regularizing/regeneration using a nonlinearfiber Sagnac interferometer switch with signal-clock walk-off

All-optical signal regularizing/regeneration using a nonlinear fiber Sagnac interferometer switch (NSIS) that employs signal-clock walk-off is investigated. The NSIS realizes all-optical signal regeneration, including timing and amplitude regularizing, by switching clock pulses with amplified input signals using a walk-off-induced, wide, square switching window and intensity-dependent transmittance of the device. First, characteristics (in both the temporal and spectral domains) of the all-optical signal regeneration achieved with the NSIS are investigated theoretically and experimentally. They certify that if clock pulses are within the square switching window obtained with signal-clock walk-off, the clock pulses can be modulated according to the data that the input signals carry and retain their temporal and spectral profiles. This means that if clock pulses can be prepared that meet the system requirements, the NSIS can convert input signals that may not satisfy system requirements into high-quality output signals. Limitations on the switching contrast due to the cross-phase modulation of counterpropagating reference pulses is also discussed. Second, two possible applications of NSIS-based all-optical signal regularizing/regeneration, 1) an all-optical multiplexer with an optical clock and 2) an all-optical regenerative repeater, are discussed. Preliminary experiments with ~10-ps pulses at bit rates of ~5 Gb/s that use locally prepared optical clock pulses, show that the NSIS provides an error-free regeneration function with a certain tolerance for pulse-period irregularity if a proper optical clock is obtained     

Effects of group velocity dispersion on self/cross phase modulationin a nonlinear Sagnac interferometer switch

Time-resolved numerical analysis of a nonlinear Sagnac interferometer switch (NSIS) reveals that the combined effects of group velocity dispersion (GVD), self phase modulation, cross phase modulation, and pump-probe walk-off seriously degrade switching performance when the soliton number N of the pump pulse is under 5. This means that the peak power of short pump pulses cannot be reduced to less than the critical value at N>5 to prevent the effect of GVD. This restriction is more severe for pump pulses in the anomalous dispersion region than for those in the normal dispersion region because of higher-order soliton compression. System designs for time-division demultiplexers that use NSISs and picosecond pump pulses generated by a laser-diode coupled to erbium-doped fiber amplifiers are discussed. It is found that 1:32 demultiplexing from 160 to 5 Gb/s and 1:8 demultiplexing from 80 to 10 Gb/s with a switching contrast of more than 60 are possible using diode-laser-pumped 1- and 2-ps pump pulses, respectively     

Frequency modulated heterodyne optical fiber Sagnac interferometer

This paper describes a new approach to the detection of rotation rate using the optical fiber Sagnac interferometer. An inherently reciprocal heterodyne system gives the advantages in terms of signal-to-noise ratios (SNR's) of heterodyne detection, while independent electronic monitoring of each propagation path through the interferometer significantly enhances signal processing flexibility. The system may thus be used as a probe to evaluate fiber properties in a way compatible with other architectures, and these measurements should lead to advances in performance characteristics. A prototype system has exhibited noise levels in the region of 100°/h, and improvement to the signal processing will soon improve on this figure.     

A variable-loop Sagnac interferometer for distributed impactsensing

A variable-loop fiber optic Sagnac interferometer is designed to locate a time-varying disturbance. Phase perturbation on a Sagnac loop produces a nonreciprocal phase signal which contains information of the perturbation location. Both location and amplitude of the perturbation can be determined by combining two phase signals from the variable-loop Sagnac interferometer. Spatial resolution better than 1 m has been demonstrated in a 180 m prototype system     

The Sagnac interferometer as a two-parameter sensor

We show the Sagnac interferometer as a two-parameter sensing device where nonreciprocal and reciprocal effects can be independently and simultaneously monitored. Phase shifts induced by nonreciprocal effects affect differently the counterpropagating beams in the loop and are accurately detected by a phase sensitive detection scheme. A probe for reciprocal effects is built by introducing a birefringence modulator inside the polarization-maintaining loop with its axes rotated with respect to the axes of the loop fiber. The resulting quadrature component of the demodulated signal is proportional to the phase shift induced by reciprocal effects at the probe site, making the interferometer suitable for dual parameter sensing. Demonstration of a electric/magnetic field sensor is presented     

实时数字散斑干涉仪及其应用

介绍了一种用于工程的多功能数字散斑干涉仪的测量原理、系统结构和设计特点，并给出了测量结果。     

Temperature sensor based on PNR in Sagnac interferometer

A temperature sensor based on polarization non-reciprocity (PNR) in fiber-optic Sagnac interferometer (FSI) was proposed. The experimental study was made primarily and the results agree with theory well.Discussion shows that this kind of temperature sensor can achieve high precision and have great application potential.     

Complete switching in a three-terminal Sagnac switch

A three-terminal all-optical fiber switch based on a fiber Sagnac interferometer is described. The use of polarization components allows the construction of a switch in which the control beam and signal beam are isolated (i.e. the device is three terminal) and which is cascadable (the device output can drive its inputs). The interaction length need not be limited by the walkoff length in the fiber, as cross-splices can be made in the birefringent fiber to permit multiple passes. Contrast ratios as high as 40:1 have been demonstrated in a switch driven by an amplified laser diode.<>     

Position determination of an acoustic burst along a Sagnac interferometer

We report on a method to measure the longitudinal position of an acoustic burst, or spark, using an all-fiber Sagnac interferometer (SI). A focused pulsed /spl sim/10 ns laser is used to ionize air creating the spark. This ionization point is situated near a coil of test fiber connected to the SI but acoustically separated from the bulk of the SI. A fast Fourier transform (FFT) performed on the temporal signal of the SI shows a series of s from which the position of the acoustic signal is determined. Over an SI length of /spl sim/35 km, longitudinal positions are determined to within tens of meters, corresponding to a best run percent uncertainty of 0.07%.     

Simulation model of magneto-optic fiber Bragg gratings and its applications in Sagnac interferometers

According to the symmetry of transmission matrix for non-uniform magneto-optic fiber Bragg gratings (MFBGs),the simulation model of the non-uniform MFBGs with bidirectional injection of light has been presented for the Optisystem software.The simulation model is verified by comparing with the Matlab numeric results using the piecewise-uniform MFBG model.As an example,the polarization-dependent loss (PDL) of an MFBG-based Sagnac interferometer (MSI) is analyzed in detail.Simulation results indicate that the magnetic field sensitivity of the MSI system can be improved by optimizing the coupling coefficient of the coupler,and the maximum of peak PDL is up to three times that of the single MFBG structure.The simulation model proposed in the paper is useful for the design of MFBG-based optical information devices.     

Fiber-optic sensor array based on Sagnac interferometer with stablephase bias

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel fiber sensor array based on a Sagnac interferometer with very simple electronic signal processing. A stable quadrature phase bias was obtained using a phase modulator, and the polarization-induced signal fading was suppressed by using a depolarizer and a broad-band source. A phase sensitivity of about 4.0 μrad_rms/√Hz at 5 kHz was obtained using a two-sensor array     

Application of Sagnac interferometer for measuring chromaticdispersion of installed single-mode fibres

A novel method is described which is suitable for measuring the chromatic dispersion of installed single-mode fibres by using a modified σ-type Sagnac interferometer, which contains an off-centred phase modulator. Chromatic dispersion is measured with high resolution from the output interference fringe without requiring any fast diagnostic equipment. Measurement of the chromatic dispersion of a single-mode fibre in the wavelength range 1.5-1.58 μm is demonstrated     

An ultrasonic fiber-optic hydrophone incorporating a push-pulltransducer in a Sagnac interferometer

A theoretical and experimental analysis of a push-pull acoustic transducer incorporated in a Sagnac interferometer is presented. The transducer is optimized for detection of ultrasonic signals in the frequency range 0.4-1.5 MHz. Two different configurations are investigated. In one, the sensing fiber forming the transducer constitutes the total loop length, and in the second an additional delay coil is included in the middle section of the Sagnac loop. In the latter we demonstrate experimentally noise-equivalent pressures of 36-43 dB re. 1 μPa/Hz^1/2 in the frequency range 0.4-1.0 MHz. An approximate theoretical model is presented, and we obtain reasonable agreement between theory and experiment for both the frequency-dependent noise equivalent pressure and the directional responsivity of this push-pull acoustic fiber-optic sensor     

2 × 2 optical switch and its applications

A 2 × 2 transverse-type optical switch using az-cut lithium niobate crystal (LiNbO3) and two Wollaston prisms (WP's) was fabricated. As an example of the applications, an optical wavelength meter and an optical demultiplexer are proposed.     

A DC to multigigabit/s polarization-independent modulator based ona Sagnac interferometer

A broadband, electrically controlled polarization-independent intensity modulator (PLM) based on a Sagnac interferometer is presented. Influences from asymmetric modulation and traveling wave effects are analyzed and methods to eliminate these effects are proposed. Compared to Mach-Zehnder interferometer-based modulators, this modulator is independent of the input polarization state and less sensitive to ambient perturbations due to its reciprocity property. A prototype modulator operating at 1 and 2.488 Gb/s modulation rates is demonstrated     

A subnanosecond polarization-independent tunable filter/wavelength router using a Sagnac interferometer

A high-speed, polarization independent, electrooptic tunable filter was built using a birefringence modulator within a Sagnac interferometer. Switching times less than 0.5 ns were achieved in our experiment for this filter. Application in highspeed wavelength routing was also demonstrated.