Enhancements in optical beam propagation performance can be realized through the utilization of ultra-short pulse laser (USPL) sources for laser transmit platforms, which are can be used throughout the telecommunication network infrastructure fabric. One or more of the described and illustrated features of USPL free space-optical (USPL-FSO) laser communications can be used in improving optical propagation through the atmosphere, for example by mitigating optical attenuation and scintillation effects, thereby enhancing effective system availability as well as link budget considerations, as evidenced through experimental studies and theoretical calculations between USPL and fog related atmospheric events.

A method includes calculating a phase of a light pulse that is propagating along an optical fiber of a fiber broadband communications network, calculating a change in the phase of the light pulse due to a nonlinearity, determining a cause of a portion of the change in the phase, wherein the cause is at least one of: a self-phase modulation, a cross-phase modulation, or a four-wave mixing, and initiating at least one action to mitigate the nonlinearity, wherein the at least one action is selected based on the cause that is determined.

A method includes calculating a phase of a light pulse that is propagating along an optical fiber of a fiber broadband communications network, calculating a change in the phase of the light pulse due to a nonlinearity, determining a cause of a portion of the change in the phase, wherein the cause is at least one of: a self-phase modulation, a cross-phase modulation, or a four-wave mixing, and initiating at least one action to mitigate the nonlinearity, wherein the at least one action is selected based on the cause that is determined.