Nonlinear Optical Telecommunications Switch Technology

[98005992]安德森对电信服务的需求迅速增加，但提供这些服务的技术却没有相应提高。现在对高带宽交换机的需求比以往任何时候都要强劲。目前的电子路由技术已经接近其理论极限，为了实现带宽能力的飞跃，显然需要转向基于非线性光开关的技术。在本提案中，我们提出了一项研究计划，旨在深入了解基于三阶非线性集成光波导中四波混频孤子动力学的非线性光交叉开关的底层技术。本文利用新的结果证明了色散介质中存在多色四波混频孤子，其中色散介质中频率分量之间的相位匹配是通过交叉相位调制和四波混频来实现的。这些新结果表明，使用基于四波混频孤子的非线性光交叉开关来切换数据应该是可能的。使用该技术还将实现几个额外的优点。其中最重要的是数据光束在通过交换机时的内在参数放大，从而抵消光从长途光纤耦合进出交换机时自然发生的耦合损耗。此外，该开关将由非线性光学平板介质波导制成，该波导由特性良好的AlGaAs/GaAs材料系统生长而成，因此需要克服的制造困难要少得多。我们的研究计划使用分析、数值和实验方法来了解四波混频孤子的特性，这些特性是构建这种开关的基础。这里提出的工作利用PI的独特专业知识，加上解决高数据速率交换问题的新方法，来解决电信行业面临的一个非常重要的问题

9800592AndersenThe rapid increase in demand for telecommunications services has not been followed by a commensurate increase in the technology capable of providing these services. Demand for higher-bandwidth switches is stronger now than it has ever been. Current electronic routing technologies are stretched nearly to their theoretical limits and in order to make the required leap in bandwidth capabilities, a move to nonlinear optical switch-based technologies is clearly required.In this proposal, we put forth a research plan aimed at providing a deep understanding of the technologies underlying a nonlinear optical crossbar switch based on the four-wave mixing soliton dynamics that occur in third-order nonlinear integrated optical waveguides. The proposal makes use of new results demonstrating the existence of multi-color four-wave mixing solitons where the phasematching between frequency components in a dispersive medium is accomplished by both cross-phase modulation and four-wave mixing. These new results suggest that it should be possible to switch data using a nonlinear optical crossbar switch based on the four-wave mixing solitons. Several additional advantages will also be realized by using this technology. The most important of these is the intrinsic parametric amplification of the data beam that can take place as it passes through the switch, thus counteracting coupling losses that naturally occur as light is coupled from the long-haul fiber into and out of the switch. In addition, the switch will be fabricated from nonlinear optical slab dielectric waveguides grown from the well-characterized AlGaAs/GaAs material system, and so there far fewer fabrication difficulties to overcome.Our research plan uses analytical, numerical, and experimental methods to understand the four-wave mixing soliton properties that underly the construction of such a switch. The work proposed here utilizes the unique expertise of the PI, coupled with a novel new approach to the problem of high data rate switching, to solve an extraordinarily important problem facing the telecommunications industry.***