Free-space photonic switch for soliton-based optical communication systems

摘要

In this paper, a free-space optical switching system capable of transferring (switching) digital optical time slots from one optical fiber to another is proposed. The design of the optical switch provides for the capability of switching soliton pulses from multiple fiber optic input ports to multiple fiber output ports. The parallel switching is achieved through the conversion of temporal information carried by the incoming fibers to spatial information using free-space optics and bistable optical resonators. The spatial information, containing time slots from different incoming fibers, is then switched by a switch that has a perfect shuffle topology and is implemented through free- space optics. The specific example covered here will give details of the operation and design of various sections of a 2 $MUL 2 free-space soliton-based photonic switch. Limitations of the proposed switch, particularly with regard to the feasibility of its implementation, will also be discussed.