An optical transmission apparatus includes a wavelength converter that wavelength-converts input signal light using a nonlinear optical medium to output the converted signal light, a memory that holds first information relating to a wavelength conversion characteristic of the wavelength converter, a communication interface that receives second information relating to a second wavelength conversion characteristic of an adjacent optical transmission apparatus, and a control circuit that determines, using the first information and the second information when the second information is received, an excitation light frequency at which a gain deviation of main signal light subjected to a wavelength conversion is minimized to set the determined excitation light frequency in the wavelength converter.

An RF receiver may include antenna elements to receive RF signals, and electro-optic modulators to generate corresponding upconverted optical signals by mixing an RF signal with an optical carrier beam. The RF receiver may include a transmission array having a first bundle of optical waveguides that receive and transmit upconverted optical signals from their ends. The ends may be arranged in a first pattern. The RF receiver may include an interference space to receive the upconverted optical signals to form a composite beam, and an array of single mode optical fibers that have lenses positioned in a detection plane to receive a portion of the composite beam. The first pattern of the ends generates an RF emitter interference pattern at the detection plane, and the single mode optical fiber lenses have a geometric arrangement that corresponds to the first RF emitter interference pattern.

A converter includes a combiner configured to polarization-combine a first pump light and a second pump light, a nonlinear medium configured to wavelength-convert first signal light into second signal light to output the second signal light after wavelength conversion from a second port, and to wavelength-convert the second signal light into first signal light to output the first signal light after wavelength conversion from the first port, a first circulator configured to input the first signal light from the first port into the nonlinear medium, and output the first signal light after wavelength conversion in the nonlinear medium from the first port, and a second circulator configured to input the second signal light from the second port into the nonlinear medium, and output the second signal light after wavelength conversion in the nonlinear medium from the second port.

An optical transmission apparatus includes a wavelength converter that wavelength-converts input signal light using a nonlinear optical medium to output the converted signal light, a memory that holds first information relating to a wavelength conversion characteristic of the wavelength converter, a communication interface that receives second information relating to a second wavelength conversion characteristic of an adjacent optical transmission apparatus, and a control circuit that determines, using the first information and the second information when the second information is received, an excitation light frequency at which a gain deviation of main signal light subjected to a wavelength conversion is minimized to set the determined excitation light frequency in the wavelength converter.

A wavelength conversion device that converts input signal light having a first frequency into output signal light having a second frequency, includes: a control-light generator that outputs first continuous oscillation light and second continuous oscillation light; and a nonlinear optical medium that cross-phase modulates the input signal light with the first continuous oscillation light and the second continuous oscillation light and generates the output signal light, wherein the control-light generator outputs the first continuous oscillation light and the second continuous oscillation light to have polarized waves in directions orthogonal to each other and have a frequency interval equal to a difference between the first frequency and the second frequency and controls, based on intensity of the output signal light, timings of modulation of phases of the first continuous oscillation light and the second continuous oscillation light to be aligned with each other.

Devices, systems and methods for encoding information using optical components are described. An example photonic filtered sampler includes a spectral shaper configured to receive an optical pulse train, a dispersive element positioned to receive an output of the spectral shaper and to expand spectral contents thereof in time, and a modulator configured to receive an output of the dispersive element and a radio frequency (RF) signal, and to produce a modulated output optical signal in accordance with the RF signal. In this configuration, one or more characteristics of the modulated output optical signal is determined based on a spectral shape provided by the spectral shaper and dispersive properties of the dispersive element.

A fast optical (with or without a photonic crystal) switch is fabricated/constructed, utilizing a phase transition material/Mott insulator, activated by either an electrical pulse (a voltage pulse or a current pulse) and/or a light pulse and/or pulses in terahertz (THz) frequency of a suitable field strength and/or hot electrons. The applications of such a fast optical switch for an on-demand optical add-drop subsystem, integrating with (a) a light slowing/light stopping component (based on metamaterials and/or nanoplasmonic structures) and (b) with or without a wavelength converter are also described.

A wavelength conversion device that converts input signal light having a first frequency into output signal light having a second frequency, includes: a control-light generator that outputs first continuous oscillation light and second continuous oscillation light; and a nonlinear optical medium that cross-phase modulates the input signal light with the first continuous oscillation light and the second continuous oscillation light and generates the output signal light, wherein the control-light generator outputs the first continuous oscillation light and the second continuous oscillation light to have polarized waves in directions orthogonal to each other and have a frequency interval equal to a difference between the first frequency and the second frequency and controls, based on intensity of the output signal light, timings of modulation of phases of the first continuous oscillation light and the second continuous oscillation light to be aligned with each other.

A Fourier transform is performed on a first waveform function in a frequency domain, and a second waveform function in a time domain including a temporal intensity waveform function and a temporal phase waveform function is generated. A replacement of the temporal intensity waveform function based on a desired waveform is performed for the second waveform function. The second waveform function is modified so as to bring a spectrogram of the second waveform function close to a target spectrogram generated in advance in accordance with a desired wavelength band. An inverse Fourier transform is performed on the modified second waveform function, and a third waveform function in the frequency domain is generated. Data is generated on the basis of an intensity spectrum function or a phase spectrum function of the third waveform function.

A resonant-structured optical transistor includes a nonlinear medium which generates a second harmonic wave through second-order nonlinear interaction with an incident pump wave, and generates an amplified signal wave and a converted wave having a difference frequency through second-order nonlinear interaction between the incident signal wave and the second harmonic wave, a first mirror which transmits, to the nonlinear medium, the pump wave or the signal wave, and reflects the second harmonic wave on one surface of the nonlinear medium, and a second mirror which transmits the pump wave, the signal wave, or the converted wave, and reflects the second harmonic wave on another surface of the nonlinear medium. The pump wave is incident to the nonlinear medium through the first mirror in a first operation mode, and the pump wave and the signal wave are incident to the nonlinear medium through the first mirror in a second operation mode.