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 receiver includes: an optical brancher configured to branch polarization multiplexed light to a first polarization multiplexed light and a second polarization multiplexed light, the polarization multiplexed light in which a pilot signal is superimposed on at least one of a first polarization and a second polarization; an optical fiber configured to transmit the first polarization multiplexed light; a first polarization rotator configured to control a first polarization state of the first polarization multiplexed light output from the optical fiber; a first polarization separator configured to separate the second polarization multiplexed light into a third polarization and a fourth polarization; and a controller configured to control the first polarization rotator based on one of a first pilot signal included in the third polarization and a second pilot signal included in the fourth polarization.

An optical receiver includes: an optical brancher configured to branch polarization multiplexed light to a first polarization multiplexed light and a second polarization multiplexed light, the polarization multiplexed light in which a pilot signal is superimposed on at least one of a first polarization and a second polarization; an optical fiber configured to transmit the first polarization multiplexed light; a first polarization rotator configured to control a first polarization state of the first polarization multiplexed light output from the optical fiber; a first polarization separator configured to separate the second polarization multiplexed light into a third polarization and a fourth polarization; and a controller configured to control the first polarization rotator based on one of a first pilot signal included in the third polarization and a second pilot signal included in the fourth polarization.

A coherent optical spectrum analyser for monitoring a spectrum of a fibre link is provided. The coherent optical spectrum analyser comprises an input connectable to the fibre link, the input being connected to a first input of a coherent detector having at least two input, the first and a second input, and an output. The coherent optical spectrum analyser further comprises a local oscillator having an output connected to the second input of the coherent detector, wherein the output of the coherent detector is connected to a first input of a processing unit, the processing unit also being connected to an input of the local oscillator, the processing unit being configured for analysing information from the coherent detector. The local oscillator comprises a semiconductor laser tuned by temperature to a specific wavelength and swept by changing a bias current, the local oscillator being controlled by the processing unit.

A coherent optical spectrum analyser for monitoring a spectrum of a fibre link is provided. The coherent optical spectrum analyser comprises an input connectable to the fibre link, the input being connected to a first input of a coherent detector having at least two input, the first and a second input, and an output. The coherent optical spectrum analyser further comprises a local oscillator having an output connected to the second input of the coherent detector, wherein the output of the coherent detector is connected to a first input of a processing unit, the processing unit also being connected to an input of the local oscillator, the processing unit being configured for analysing information from the coherent detector. The local oscillator comprises a semiconductor laser tuned by temperature to a specific wavelength and swept by changing a bias current, the local oscillator being controlled by the processing unit.

We disclose an optical receiver for direct detection of an intensity-modulated optical signal, the digital signal processor of which employs a clock-recovery circuit capable of reliably recovering the internal clock of the received optical signal without relying on dispersion-compensation processing even if the signal's eye pattern is substantially closed. In an example embodiment, the clock-recovery circuit comprises a frequency-domain phase detector that operates to determine and track in time the sampling phase using only a subset of the digital spectral components corresponding to the received optical signal. The determined sampling phase is then used to synchronize the digital electrical samples of the received optical signal with the internal clock thereof by way of digital interpolation or through appropriate control of the sampling frequency and phase of the receiver's analog-to-digital converter. Some embodiments of the clock-recovery circuit can beneficially be used in a two-channel optical receiver.

We disclose an optical receiver for direct detection of an intensity-modulated optical signal, the digital signal processor of which employs a clock-recovery circuit capable of reliably recovering the internal clock of the received optical signal without relying on dispersion-compensation processing even if the signal's eye pattern is substantially closed. In an example embodiment, the clock-recovery circuit comprises a frequency-domain phase detector that operates to determine and track in time the sampling phase using only a subset of the digital spectral components corresponding to the received optical signal. The determined sampling phase is then used to synchronize the digital electrical samples of the received optical signal with the internal clock thereof by way of digital interpolation or through appropriate control of the sampling frequency and phase of the receiver's analog-to-digital converter. Some embodiments of the clock-recovery circuit can beneficially be used in a two-channel optical receiver.

Systems, devices and techniques for receiving a signal comprising a quadrature duobinary modulated signal include performing channel equalization of the received signal using a constant multi-modulus to obtain a set of channel estimation coefficients and a stream of symbols, partitioning, based on modulus, the stream of symbols into three partitions, estimating carrier frequency based on the partitioned stream of symbols, recovering a phase of the signal using a maximum likelihood algorithm, and decoding the partitioned stream of symbols to recover data.

Systems, devices and techniques for receiving a signal comprising a quadrature duobinary modulated signal include performing channel equalization of the received signal using a constant multi-modulus to obtain a set of channel estimation coefficients and a stream of symbols, partitioning, based on modulus, the stream of symbols into three partitions, estimating carrier frequency based on the partitioned stream of symbols, recovering a phase of the signal using a maximum likelihood algorithm, and decoding the partitioned stream of symbols to recover data.

Systems and methods for autonomous signal modulation format identification are disclosed. In an example embodiment of the disclosed technology, a method includes applying higher-order statistics to an input signal to identify the input signal's modulation format. The method may include applying higher-order statistics to the input signal to calculate higher-order cumulant values for the input signal as higher-order cumulants are indicative of a particular modulation format signature. The method may further include employing a decision tree to determine the modulation format of the input signal.