An optical transmission system including: N transmitters, each of the N transmitters being configured to convert one of N electrical signals indicating data sequences different from one another into an optical signal; a signal generator configured to cause N optical splitters to split the N optical signals output from the N transmitters to convert the N optical signals into M optical signals; a multiplexer configured to convert the M optical signals converted by the signal generator into one mode-multiplexed signal that is excitable in at least M modes; a demultiplexer configured to convert the mode-multiplexed signal converted by the multiplexer into M optical signals; M receivers, each of the M receivers being configured to convert one of the M optical signals converted by the demultiplexer into the electrical signal; and a signal detector configured to perform signal separation on the M electrical signals converted by the M receivers to extract the N data sequences.

An optical transmission system including: N transmitters, each of the N transmitters being configured to convert one of N electrical signals indicating data sequences different from one another into an optical signal; a signal generator configured to cause N optical splitters to split the N optical signals output from the N transmitters to convert the N optical signals into M optical signals; a multiplexer configured to convert the M optical signals converted by the signal generator into one mode-multiplexed signal that is excitable in at least M modes; a demultiplexer configured to convert the mode-multiplexed signal converted by the multiplexer into M optical signals; M receivers, each of the M receivers being configured to convert one of the M optical signals converted by the demultiplexer into the electrical signal; and a signal detector configured to perform signal separation on the M electrical signals converted by the M receivers to extract the N data sequences.

A tap coupler includes a mode generation unit, a separation unit, and an output unit. The mode generation unit generates, in accordance with a discontinuous portion disposed on a travelling path of signal light that is propagating, a first mode of the signal light and a second mode that is different from the first mode. The separation unit separates, when the first mode and the second mode are input from the mode generation unit, the first mode and the second mode. The output unit outputs branch light in accordance with a transition of the second mode received from the separation unit.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical transmission system capable of controlling a transmission capacity and a signal processing load of a MIMO equalizer, without depending on the number of propagation modes of the optical fiber. The present optical transmission system includes an optical fiber 11 with the number of spatial modes being L (an integer of 2 or greater), an optical multiplexer 13 connected to one end of the optical fiber 11 and configured to input M (a natural number of L or less) signal beams of light to the optical fiber 11 and cause the M input signal beams of light to be propagated for each of the spatial modes of the optical fiber 11, an optical demultiplexer 14 connected to another end of the optical fiber 11 and configured to demultiplex a propagated beam of light propagated through the optical fiber 11 for each of the spatial modes of the optical fiber 11, N (N=L) receivers 15 configured to each receive a demultiplexed beam of light obtained by demultiplexing the propagated beam of light, a signal generation apparatus 17 configured to generate P (an integer of from M to L) combined signals from the N received signals, and a P×M MIMO equalizer 16 configured to receive the P combined signals to output M demodulated signals.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical transmission system capable of controlling a transmission capacity and a signal processing load of a MIMO equalizer, without depending on the number of propagation modes of the optical fiber. The present optical transmission system includes an optical fiber 11 with the number of spatial modes being L (an integer of 2 or greater), an optical multiplexer 13 connected to one end of the optical fiber 11 and configured to input M (a natural number of L or less) signal beams of light to the optical fiber 11 and cause the M input signal beams of light to be propagated for each of the spatial modes of the optical fiber 11, an optical demultiplexer 14 connected to another end of the optical fiber 11 and configured to demultiplex a propagated beam of light propagated through the optical fiber 11 for each of the spatial modes of the optical fiber 11, N (N=L) receivers 15 configured to each receive a demultiplexed beam of light obtained by demultiplexing the propagated beam of light, a signal generation apparatus 17 configured to generate P (an integer of from M to L) combined signals from the N received signals, and a P×M MIMO equalizer 16 configured to receive the P combined signals to output M demodulated signals.

An amplified optical link having a fault-protection capability that is based, at least in part, on the ability to selectively and independently power up and down different groups of optical amplifiers within the link. In an example embodiment, the optical link is implemented using an optical fiber cable having an electrical power line and arrays of optical amplifiers connected between successive optical fiber segments to form a plurality of disjoint groups of parallel optical paths between the ends of the optical fiber cable. The electrical power line is operable to selectively power, as a group, the optical amplifiers of at least some of the disjoint groups. In various embodiments, different optical paths can be implemented using different respective strands of a single-core optical fiber, different respective cores of a multi-core optical fiber, and/or different respective sets of spatial modes of a multimode optical fiber.

A multi-level optical signal is sampled to generate an eye diagram. The signal can be adjusted when eyes in the eye diagram have different heights. More specifically, a first value is determined, and the height of a first eye is adjusted using the first value. The first value is multiplied by a stored factor to produce a second value, and the height of a second eye is adjusted using the second value, and so on for other eyes. As a result, eye heights are the same. Similarly, optical power levels of the signal can be adjusted when the levels are not equally spaced. As a result, the optical power levels are equally spaced.

A multi-level optical signal is sampled to generate an eye diagram. The signal can be adjusted when eyes in the eye diagram have different heights. More specifically, a first value is determined, and the height of a first eye is adjusted using the first value. The first value is multiplied by a stored factor to produce a second value, and the height of a second eye is adjusted using the second value, and so on for other eyes. As a result, eye heights are the same. Similarly, optical power levels of the signal can be adjusted when the levels are not equally spaced. As a result, the optical power levels are equally spaced.

Various embodiments are disclosed herein with generally relate to an optical communication system using a photonic lantern. In at least one embodiment, the optical system comprises: an optical transmitter coupled to a signal transmitting path; an optical receiver coupled to a signal receiving path; a photonic lantern, the photonic lantern extending between a first open end and a second open end, the first end comprising an opening to a single multi-mode fiber, and the second end comprising a plurality of single mode fibers that are adiabatically coupled to the multi-mode fiber, the plurality of single-mode fibers includes a single-mode fiber adapted to carry a fundamental optical mode and the remaining single-mode fibers adapted to carry higher-order optical modes, wherein, the single-mode fiber is coupled to the optical transmitting path, the remaining single-mode fibers are coupled to the optical receiving path.

A communication system is provided. The communication system may include few mode fibers of at least two spans and a mode converter. The few mode fiber is configured to transmit M received mode groups, where group delays of the M mode groups during transmission in the few mode fiber are symmetrically distributed about a center. The mode converter is configured to: receive the M mode groups from the few mode fiber, perform mode group exchange between a first mode group and a second mode group in the M mode groups to obtain M exchanged mode groups, where a group delay of the first mode group and a group delay of the second mode group are symmetric about the center.