The light multiplexing/demultiplexing device comprises: a first demultiplexer that demultiplexes an inputted first wavelength-multiplexed signal light into a first signal light of a first wavelength band and a second signal light of a second wavelength band and outputs the first and the second signal light; a first amplifier that amplifies the second signal light from the first demultiplexer; a light processor that, based on the inputted second signal light and an inputted third signal light of the second wavelength band, outputs a fourth signal light; and a first multiplexer that multiplexes the fourth signal light with the first signal light from the first demultiplexer, further, the gain of the first amplifier is set such that the difference between power of the first signal light outputted from the first multiplexer and power of the fourth signal light outputted from the first multiplexer is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

An optical level control apparatus includes an input port, an output port, an optical device to assume a state of outputting light inputted to the input port from the output port and a state of not outputting the light inputted to the input port from the output port; a detector to detect an intensity of the light inputted to the input port, and a control unit to detect an input of an optical burst signal to the input port on the basis of a result of detecting the intensity of the light and to control the optical device so that the signal, in which to eliminate a field extending up to an elapse of a period of first time equal to or shorter than laser ON time period of the signal from a head of the signal with its input being detected, is output from the output port.

An optical level control apparatus includes an input port, an output port, an optical device to assume a state of outputting light inputted to the input port from the output port and a state of not outputting the light inputted to the input port from the output port; a detector to detect an intensity of the light inputted to the input port, and a control unit to detect an input of an optical burst signal to the input port on the basis of a result of detecting the intensity of the light and to control the optical device so that the signal, in which to eliminate a field extending up to an elapse of a period of first time equal to or shorter than laser ON time period of the signal from a head of the signal with its input being detected, is output from the output port.

A distributed Automatic Power Optimization (APO) system and method are provided. The distributed APO system includes: one or more APO modules and a network management system. The one or more APO modules belong to one or more pre-divided APO links. Each APO module in the one or more APO modules belongs to only one APO link. The APO module is configured to, when the APO link to which the APO module belongs is triggered to perform power regulation, regulate a power attenuation or a gain between the two adjacent stations corresponding to the APO module and report a regulation result. The network management system is configured to, when learning that all of one or more APO modules in one APO link are successful in regulation, if there is a next APO link of the APO link, trigger the next APO link of the APO link to perform power regulation.

An unrepeatered transmission system includes a receiver coupled to a receive span; a transmitter coupled to the receive span; and a plurality of cascaded amplifiers in the receive span with dedicated fiber cores to supply one or more optical pumps from the receiver to each amplifier, wherein the plurality of cascaded amplifiers increase system reach by increasing the length of a back span in an unrepeatered link.

Disclosed is a method for optimizing optical fibre based transmission, in particular increasing span length and/or minimizing energy consumption and cost for an optical fibre based transmission link, and the so optimized fibre based transmission link. Further disclosed is a method for minimizing the energy consumption and/or the cost of an optical fibre based transmission link by doubling the number of fibre channels. Also disclosed is a method for minimizing the energy consumption and/or the cost of a repeaterless optical fibre based transmission link.

A free-space optical communication method is provided. The method includes generating, at a transmitter of a satellite, an optical frequency comb and a pump signal, modulating the optical frequency comb to generate a data signal and an idler signal that is a phase conjugate of the data signal, attenuating the pump signal, transmitting over free-space, from the satellite, a communication signal having the data signal, the idler signal and the pump signal, receiving from the satellite, at a receiver, the transmitted communication signal having the data signal, the idler signal, and the attenuated pump signal, amplifying, at a phase-sensitive amplifier, the data signal and the idler signal, and demodulating the data signal and the idler signal to extract data.

A free-space optical communication method is provided. The method includes generating, at a transmitter of a satellite, an optical frequency comb and a pump signal, modulating the optical frequency comb to generate a data signal and an idler signal that is a phase conjugate of the data signal, attenuating the pump signal, transmitting over free-space, from the satellite, a communication signal having the data signal, the idler signal and the pump signal, receiving from the satellite, at a receiver, the transmitted communication signal having the data signal, the idler signal, and the attenuated pump signal, amplifying, at a phase-sensitive amplifier, the data signal and the idler signal, and demodulating the data signal and the idler signal to extract data.

An optical transmission apparatus includes a variable attenuator configured to adjust output intensity of each wavelength signal included in a multiplexed optical signal having been input; a monitor configured to measure an output spectrum of the variable attenuator; a calculation unit configured to calculate an amount of spectral narrowing and an amount of spectral surplus, based on a measured value by the monitor, and a target value set in advance; and a control unit configured to control an amount of attenuation of the variable attenuator, based on the amount of spectral narrowing and the amount of spectral surplus.

A configuration for receiving transmission data at multiple rates where one rate is not necessarily a multiple of another is provided. A host board includes a receiving circuit, a cross point switch, and a switch control circuit. The receiving circuit includes a receiving unit configured to receive a first data signal transmitted at a first rate, and a second receiving unit configured to receive a second data signal transmitted at a second rate different from the first rate. The cross point switch includes input terminals and output terminals. The cross point switch is configured to define a path of signal between the input terminals and the output terminals to route an input data signal to at least one of the first receiving unit and the second receiving unit.