Free-space optical (FSO) wireless transmission, including optical communications, remote-sensing, power beaming, etc., can be enhanced by replacing conventional laser sources that operate in the infrared portion of the optical spectrum with ultra-short pulsed laser (USPL) sources having peak pulse powers of one kWatt or greater and pulse lengths of less than one picosecond. Specifically, it has been observed that under these conditions the attenuation of an USPL beam having the same average optical power as a conventional laser in a lossy medium, such as the atmosphere, is substantially less than the attenuation of a conventional laser beam having a lower peak pulse power and/or a longer pulse width. The superior system performance when using an USPL can be translated into an increased distance between a laser source in a transmitter and a photodetector in receiver and/or a higher reliability of system operation in inclement weather conditions.

A method of interference suppression with intermodulation distortion mitigation includes processing an RF signal comprising an RF signal of interest and an RF interfering signal to produce a first and second RF drive signal each with a desired RF interference signal power and having a 90 degree relative phase. The first RF drive signal is imposed onto a first optical signal with a modulator to generate a first modulated optical signal so that the modulator has a large-signal behavior that is characterized by a Bessel function of the first kind J.sub.1(), wherein the desired power at a frequency of the interference signal of the first drive signal is chosen to correspond to a zero of the Bessel function of the first kind J.sub.1(). The second RF drive signal is imposed onto a second optical signal with a modulator to generate a second modulated optical signal so that the modulator has a large-signal behavior that is characterized by a Bessel function of the first kind J.sub.1(), wherein the desired power at a frequency of the interference signal of the second drive signal is chosen to correspond to another zero of the Bessel function of the first kind J1(). The first and second modulated optical signal are combined with an optical power ratio that is selected to suppress third-order intermodulation distortion products in an electrical signal generated by detecting the optically combined first and second modulated optical signals.

A method of interference suppression with intermodulation distortion mitigation includes processing an RF signal comprising an RF signal of interest and an RF interfering signal to produce a first and second RF drive signal each with a desired RF interference signal power and having a 90 degree relative phase. The first RF drive signal is imposed onto a first optical signal with a modulator to generate a first modulated optical signal so that the modulator has a large-signal behavior that is characterized by a Bessel function of the first kind J.sub.1(), wherein the desired power at a frequency of the interference signal of the first drive signal is chosen to correspond to a zero of the Bessel function of the first kind J.sub.1(). The second RF drive signal is imposed onto a second optical signal with a modulator to generate a second modulated optical signal so that the modulator has a large-signal behavior that is characterized by a Bessel function of the first kind J.sub.1(), wherein the desired power at a frequency of the interference signal of the second drive signal is chosen to correspond to another zero of the Bessel function of the first kind J1(b). The first and second modulated optical signal are combined with an optical power ratio that is selected to suppress third-order intermodulation distortion products in an electrical signal generated by detecting the optically combined first and second modulated optical signals.

Active relative intensity noise mitigation in nested interferometers using trans-impedance amplifiers is provided by splitting an optical carrier signal into a first version and a second version, wherein the first version is orthogonal to the second version; re-combining predefined portions of the first version and the second version to determine a noise level; modulating at least one of the first version and the second version based on the noise level to reduce the noise level; after modulating the at least one of the first version and the second version based on the noise level, encoding data onto at least one of the first version and the second version; and recombining the first version and the second version to transmit the data.

An optical modulation apparatus that can adjust modulation timing. A timing adjuster adjusts the modulation timing on the basis of an intensity detected by a light intensity detector, after a data generator respectively generates, as a first data signal and a second data signal, a first test data signal and a second test data signal each having a data string containing a test pattern in which a plurality of continuous marks and a plurality of continuous spaces are alternately repeated, and after a phase adjuster adjusts a phase difference to zero or .

An optical transmitter includes a bias supplying unit configured to supply a first bias voltage, a second bias voltage and a third bias voltage to an optical modulator. The bias supplying unit acquires a first voltage value at which an average value of an optical output signal becomes maximum by sweeping the first bias voltage, acquires a second voltage value at which an average value of the optical output signal becomes maximum by sweeping the second bias voltage, and acquires a third voltage value at which an average value of the optical output signal becomes maximum by sweeping the third bias voltage. The bias supplying unit determines a value of the first bias voltage based on the first voltage value, determines a value of the second bias voltage based on the second voltage value, and determines a value of the third bias voltage based on the third voltage value.

RF processing systems and methods. An RF processing system includes an optical storage module, a processing module, and an electro-optical modulation module. The electro-optical modulation module is configured to receive the first signal from the optical storage module, receive the modulation signal from the processing module, and electro-optically modulate the first signal based on the modulation signal.

An optical IQ modulator with automatic bias control is disclosed. A dither signal is applied to the modulator bias and its signature detected in light tapped from an output of the modulator using a phase sensitive dither detector such as a lock-in amplifier. The detected signal is processed using pre-recorded information defining the direction of the detected signal change relative to a change in the modulator bias, and the bias is adjusted in the direction determined using the information. The IQ phase bias is controlled by dithering I and Q optical signals in quadrature to produce opposite-sign single subband modulation of output light at two different dither frequencies, and detecting an oscillation at a difference frequency using a lock-in detector.

A bias control apparatus and method of a modulator of an optical transmitter and an optical transmitter, in which by performing mutual interference on driving signals of two Mach-Zehnder modulators constituting the modulator of the optical transmitter, output optical fields of the two Mach-Zehnder modulators are correlated. Hence, an output power signal of the modulator of the optical transmitter contains information on phase bias. Thus, the phase bias may be controlled by using the output power signal, sensitivity of the bias control may be efficiently improved, and various types of modulation formats may be applied.

An optical IQ modulator with automatic bias control is disclosed. A dither signal is applied to the modulator bias and its signature detected in light tapped from an output of the modulator using a phase sensitive dither detector such as a lock-in amplifier. The detected signal is processed using pre-recorded information defining the direction of the detected signal change relative to a change in the modulator bias, and the bias is adjusted in the direction determined using the information. The IQ phase bias is controlled by dithering I and Q optical signals in quadrature to produce opposite-sign single subband modulation of output light at two different dither frequencies, and detecting an oscillation at a difference frequency using a lock-in detector.