Disclosed herein are methods, devices, and system for beam forming and beam steering within ultra-wideband, wireless optical communication devices and systems. According to one embodiment, a free space optical (FSO) communication apparatus is disclosed. The FSO communication apparatus includes an array of optical sources wherein each optical source of the array of optical sources is individually controllable and each optical source configured to have a transient response time of less than 500 picoseconds (ps).

Disclosed herein are methods, devices, and system for beam forming and beam steering within ultra-wideband, wireless optical communication devices and systems. According to one embodiment, a free space optical (FSO) communication apparatus is disclosed. The FSO communication apparatus includes a semiconductor optical device configured to have a transient response time of less than 500 picoseconds (ps), a lens, and a first band select filter.

A data storage system is disclosed that includes a recirculating loop storing data in motion. The data may be carried by a signal via the loop including one or more satellites or other vessels that return, for example by reflection or regeneration, the signals through the loop. The loop may also include a waveguide, for example an optical fiber, or an optical cavity. Signal multiplexing may be used to increase the contained data. The signal may be amplified at each roundtrip and sometimes a portion of the signal may be regenerated.

An optical amplifier includes two amplifier stages, a circulator and an output stage. The first amplifier stage amplifies an input optical signal, and provides a first-stage amplified optical signal that is to be outputted via the circulator to the second amplifier stage. The second amplifier stage amplifies the first-stage amplified optical signal, and outputs a second-stage amplified optical signal to the output stage. The output stage outputs a returned optical signal to the second amplifier stage, so that the second amplifier stage amplifies the returned optical signal, and provides a third-stage amplified optical signal that is to be outputted via the circulator and the output stage to serve as an output optical signal.

An optical fiber transmission system and method for using the system are provided. The system may include a span of transmission fiber for transmitting light signals through the optical fiber transmission system. The system may include a dispersion compensating module coupled to the span of transmission fiber. The system may include a switchable module including a set of selectable light signal paths, the set of selectable light signal paths including at least one path through a dispersion compensating element. The system may include a processor coupled to the switchable module for selectively monitoring the set of selectable light signal paths, where the processor is further configured to derive a metric based on the set of selectable light signal paths for controlling the dispersion compensating module.

Methods for providing flammability protection for plastic optical fiber (POF) embedded inside avionics line replaceable units (LRUs) or other equipment used in airborne vehicles such as commercial or fighter aircrafts. A thin and flexible flammability protection tube is placed around the POF. In one proposed implementation, a very thin (100 to 250 microns in wall thickness) polyimide tube is placed outside and around the POF cable embedded inside an LRU or other equipment. The thin-walled polyimide tube does not diminish the flexibility of the POF cable.

An optical transmission apparatus includes first and second optical waveguides to transmit light of multiple wavelengths; optical couplers on the waveguides, to couple the lights transmitted through the waveguides, so as to output the coupled light to the waveguides; phase shifters provided at preceding stages of part of the optical couplers, to change a phase shift amount of the light transmitted through the first and/or second optical waveguides, wherein the number of optical couplers in the part is greater than or equal to the number of the types of wavelengths; a monitor to monitor the intensity of the light output to the second optical waveguide via the optical coupler at the last stage; and a controller to control the phase shifters by changing the phase shift amount for each of the phase shifters in a direction in which the output of the monitor decreases.

A reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) includes a plurality of interconnected ROADM blocks. Each ROADM block includes an ingress switchable-gain amplifier, an output power detector coupled to an output of the ingress switchable gain amplifier, and a wavelength-selective switch coupled to the output of the ingress switchable gain amplifier. Each ROADM block includes a plurality of add/drop blocks coupled to the wavelength-selective switches of the plurality of ROADM blocks. The ROADM includes a controller configured to receive an indication of an output signal power from the output power detector and adjust gain and equalization parameters of the ingress switchable-gain amplifier based on the received indication of the output signal power.

Various examples are provided related to single channel and multi-channel radio frequency (RF) steganography. In one example, a method includes generating an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) broadband signal; spectrally slicing the ASE broad-band light to achieve taps for generating a dynamic photonic finite impulse response in an RF domain; generating a stealth-modulated broadband optical carrier by combining a stealth signal with the spectrally sliced ASE broadband light; passing the stealth-modulated broadband optical carrier to a dispersive medium to achieve the dynamic photonic FIR in the RF domain; and transmitting the stealth-modulated optical comb carrier via a transmission fiber. The ASE broadband light can have wavelength and intensity corresponding to background noise of a photonic system. In another example, a system for RF steganography includes a stealth transmitter. The stealth transmitter can generate and transmit the stealth-modulated optical comb carrier to a stealth receiver via a transmission fiber.

An optical amplifier includes a first path and a second path, and an amplification unit that is arranged on one of the first path and the second path. The amplifier includes a first switch that is arranged on an input stage of the amplification unit, and that switches a third path that connects between the first path and the amplification unit or a fourth path that connects between the second path and the amplification unit. The amplifier includes a second switch that is arranged on an output stage of the amplification unit and that switches a fifth path that connects between the first path and the amplification unit or a sixth path that connects between the second path and the amplification unit. The first switch switches the third path over to the fourth path, and the second switch switches the fifth path to the sixth path.