An optical receiver module which receives a first optical signal including a continuous signal or a burst signal includes: a variable optical attenuator which adjusts the first optical signal to output a second optical signal; a semiconductor optical amplifier which amplifies the second optical signal to output a third optical signal; and a controller which controls an output of at least one of the variable optical attenuator and the semiconductor optical amplifier so as to cause the semiconductor optical amplifier to operate in a region in which gain saturation of the semiconductor optical amplifier does not occur, on the basis of at least one of: a power obtained by suppressing an outside portion of the wavelength band of the first optical signal in the third optical signal; and a power obtained by extracting the outside portion of the wavelength band of the first optical signal in the third optical signal.

An optical reception apparatus (1) of the present invention includes: a local oscillator (11) outputting local oscillation light (22); an optical mixer (12) receiving a multiplexed optical signal (21) and the local oscillation light, and selectively outputting an optical signal (23) corresponding to the wavelength of the local oscillation light from the multiplexed optical signal; a photoelectric converter (13) converting the optical signal (23) output from the optical mixer into an electric signal (24); a variable gain amplifier (15) amplifying the electric signal (24) to generate an output signal (25) whose output amplitude is amplified to a certain level; a gain control signal generating circuit (16) generating a gain control signal (26) for controlling the gain of the variable gain amplifier (15); and a monitor signal generating unit (17) generating a monitor signal (27) corresponding to the power of the optical signal (23) using the gain control signal (26).

A method is presented for determining an offset frequency of a frequency comb. The method includes: generating a beam of light with a waveform that repeats regularly in the time domain and exhibits a frequency comb in the frequency domain; directing the beam of light towards a point of incidence on a material; and detecting oscillation of a photocurrent in the material that is caused by the beam of light. Of note, the beam of light has an optical bandwidth that includes light propagating at a first frequency and at a second frequency, where the first frequency is less than the second frequency and the ratio of the second frequency to the first frequency is n:m, where n=m+i, m is an integer greater than one, and n and i are positive integers. Additionally, the material has a band gap and the band gap is not more than n times the first frequency.

An optical transmission apparatus includes a splitter configured to split a first wavelength division multiplexed optical signal arranged in a first wavelength band and a second wavelength division multiplexed optical signal arranged in a second wavelength band, respectively, from an optical signal including the first wavelength division multiplexed optical signal and the second wavelength division multiplexed optical signal, a wavelength converter configured to convert a wavelength of the split second wavelength division multiplexed optical signal to generate a third wavelength division multiplexed optical signal to be arranged in the first wavelength band, an optical monitor configured to monitor power of each wavelength channel of the third wavelength division multiplexed optical signal, and a transmitter configured to transmit a monitoring result by the optical monitor to a transmission source node of the optical signal or a relay node of the optical signal.

A loss of signal circuit has a multiplexer and a photodiode coupled to a first input of the multiplexer. A reference signal generator is coupled to a second input of the multiplexer. An amplifier is coupled to an output of the multiplexer. A demultiplexer includes an input of the demultiplexer coupled to an output of the amplifier. A first capacitor is coupled to a first output of the demultiplexer. A second capacitor is coupled to a second output of the demultiplexer. A comparator has a first input coupled to the first output of the demultiplexer and a second input of the comparator is coupled to the second output of the demultiplexer.

A loss of signal circuit has a multiplexer and a photodiode coupled to a first input of the multiplexer. A reference signal generator is coupled to a second input of the multiplexer. An amplifier is coupled to an output of the multiplexer. A demultiplexer includes an input of the demultiplexer coupled to an output of the amplifier. A first capacitor is coupled to a first output of the demultiplexer. A second capacitor is coupled to a second output of the demultiplexer. A comparator has a first input coupled to the first output of the demultiplexer and a second input of the comparator is coupled to the second output of the demultiplexer.

A signal processing apparatus, an optical line terminal, and a communications system are provided. The signal processing apparatus includes a signal input interface, a signal output interface, a reset signal generation unit, a signal amplification and equalization unit, an enable signal generation unit, and N direct-current offset calibration loop units. The signal input interface is connected to the signal amplification and equalization unit, which is connected to the signal output interface and the enable signal generation unit; the enable signal generation unit is connected to the N direct-current offset calibration loop units, which are connected to the signal amplification and equalization unit; and the reset signal generation unit is connected to the N direct-current offset calibration loop units. Embodiments of the present invention are directed to reduce an LA burst settling time, thereby reducing physical overheads of a link.

A smart spool is configured to be optically coupled between a pumping light source and optical point-loss sources in an optical fiber transmission line. The smart spool comprises a probe signal transmitter that transmits an optical probe signal into the transmission line. An optical detector receives probe signals scattered in the transmission line. A loss-measuring device is coupled to the optical detector and operable to measure aggregate losses in the transmission line and report the aggregate losses to a network manager. The spool comprises a fiber of sufficient length to offset the aggregated losses to enable a distributed Raman amplifier to pump the transmission line. The smart spool prevents the distributed Raman amplifier from shutting down and allows the distributed Raman amplifier to achieve entitled gain by pumping the fiber in the spool.

An optical reception apparatus (1) of the present invention includes: a local oscillator (11) outputting local oscillation light (22); an optical mixer (12) receiving a multiplexed optical signal (21) and the local oscillation light, and selectively outputting an optical signal (23) corresponding to the wavelength of the local oscillation light from the multiplexed optical signal; a photoelectric converter (13) converting the optical signal (23) output from the optical mixer into an electric signal (24); a variable gain amplifier (15) amplifying the electric signal (24) to generate an output signal (25) whose output amplitude is amplified to a certain level; a gain control signal generating circuit (16) generating a gain control signal (26) for controlling the gain of the variable gain amplifier (15); and a monitor signal generating unit (17) generating a monitor signal (27) corresponding to the power of the optical signal (23) using the gain control signal (26).

A transimpedance amplifier converts an input current to a differential signal and outputs the differential signal. The transimpedance amplifier includes a single-ended amplifier configured to convert a current signal to a voltage signal, a first feedback circuit configured to generate a bypass current, a differential amplifier circuit configured to generate the differential signal in accordance with the difference between the voltage signal and a reference voltage signal, and a detector circuit configured to detect a start and an end of a burst optical signal. The detector circuit detects the end of the burst optical signal based on a peak value of the positive-phase component and a peak value of the negative-phase component and switches the time constant of the first feedback circuit from a first time constant to a second time constant smaller than the first time constant in response to detecting the end of the burst optical signal.