Abstract:
An optical circuit comprises a bistable optical waveguide (34) having a first and a second transmission state. The waveguide is more transmissive to light of a given wavelength in the second state than in the first state. A first light source (11) and a second light source (21) emit light of a first and second wavelength respectively and are coupled to the waveguide at one end. Selective transmission of a sufficient amount of light of the first wavelength through the waveguide "sets" the waveguide, causing it to switch from the first into the second state, whereas transmission of a sufficient amount of light of the second wavelength "resets" the waveguide causing it to switch back from the second into the first state. A sensing or reading ("test") light source (36) is arranged at the other end of the waveguide to transmit a sensing light signal through the waveguide (34) in the opposite propagation direction to that of light of the first and second wavelengths. This sensing light source can be an external light source or an "internal" source provided by spontaneous emission in the waveguide. A sensor (38) is arranged to detect the amount of the sensing light signal transmitted through the waveguide (34). In this way the waveguide can be set into a given transmission state, which can be determined at a later time by measuring the amount of the sensing light signal transmitted. The optical circuit therefore exhibits a memory effect and may be used to produce an all-optical bistable logic circuit such as an optical latch or an optical flip-flip. Typically, the waveguide (34) is a doped optical fibre, such as an Erbium-Ytterbium (Er-Yb) doped fibre. Light of the first (set) / second (reset) wavelengths excites or de-excites respectively the dopant ions in the fibre thus tuning its transmission.
Abstract:
An optical transistor is disclosed. The optical transistor consists of a high speed photo-conductor (20) a photodetector region (32) incident to a light intensity modulating region (15) which separates a drain and source region. The disclosed optical transistor is able to exhibit high speed performance with good signal isolation and high amplification gain.
Abstract:
A photonic switch (30) may be formed using one of a selected group of non-linear optical materials. Each of the materials within this group has a refractive index that demonstrates a substantial peak as a function of wavelength. The photonic switch (30) includes a positive gain, and thus acts as a photonic transistor. In addition, a photonic switch (30) is formed so that a gate signal is applied in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of the input signal so that there is no effective contamination of the input signal by the gate signal affecting the output signal.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to labels which are adhesively attached to the outside of a stack of packages or articles which packages or articles are combined on a pallet typically by a stretch wrapped film. Such stretch wrapped stacks are highly stable but due to the stretch in the film used for holding the stack together and depending on the compressibility of the packages or articles, the stack will shrink by a certain amount during further handing and shipment. Such stretch wrapped stacks are usually provided with labels, which have to allow the stretch wrapped stack to shrink and be deformed to a certain extent during handing and shipment. The present invention relates to labels, which are designed, to achieve a substantial improvement in stability after having been applied to a stretch wrapped stack of packages or articles.
Abstract:
Entangled optical outputs are generated using one or more heralded entanglement sources, each comprising: first and second free-running entanglement sources, each providing a first (third) optical output comprising a quantum superposition of a pair of orthogonal optical modes, and a second (fourth) optical output comprising a quantum superposition of a pair of orthogonal optical modes; an optical module configured to perform an interferometric measurement based on optical interference between at least a portion of the first optical output and at least a portion of the third optical output, and to generate one or more detection signals based on the interferometric measurement in a series of time slots; and a trigger module configured to generate a trigger signal based on the one or more detection signals to indicate one or more time slots in which the second optical output and the fourth optical output are entangled with each other.
Abstract:
A disclosed apparatus (10) is characterized by a guiding element (12) and a nonlinear element (30). The guiding element (12) guides optical input signals, at least one of which is phase-modulated, to an interference area (26) where such signals meet and interfere. The resulting interference signal is nonlinearly discriminated by the nonlinear element (30) to produce an optical output signal that can be amplitude or phase-modulated according to the phase modulation of the input signals. The invention also includes related methods and photonic logic gates (100, 200).
Abstract:
The invention relates to non-linear fibre and integrated optics, more specifically to fully optical switches and optical transistors and can be used for fibre-optical communication lines, integrated optical circuits etc. The inventive method consists in switching solitons in cubic non-linear tunnel-coupled optical waveguides (TCOW) by weak signal pulses or by the continuos radiation of a different carrier frequency. Said switching is carried out from one waveguide to another waveguide. Said invention makes it possible to convert (with a high amplification) a weak signal pulse modulation whose frequency does not correspond to a soliton-forming and soliton-propagating region and/or to fibre waveguide windows into a power soliton-sequence modulation on another required carrier frequency. In addition, a parasitic effect of short time and slow phase signal modifications and the influence of a phase of soliton input on a switching process are excluded.
Abstract:
In a multistable optical logic element with a light-sensitive organic material (1) which undergoes a photocycle with several physical states by irradiation with light, and wherein a physical state is assigned a logical value which can be changed by addressing the element optically, the element initially before the addressing is in a metastable state generated in advance. A multistable optical logic element has been made proximity-addressable by providing at least a colour light source (1) for optical addressing and at least one colour-sensitive optical detector (5) adjacent to the light-sensitive material. In a method for preparing of the light-sensitive material (1) a desired initial metastable state is generated in the photocycle and assigned a determined logical value for the element. In a method for optical addressing of the optical logic element steps for respectively writing and storing, reading, erasing and switching comprises generating transitions between states in the photocycle and detection of the states. Use in an optical logical device for storing and processing of data.
Abstract:
In a multistable optical logic element with a light-sensitive organic material (1) which undergoes a photocycle with several physical states by irradiation with light, and wherein a physical state is assigned a logical value which can be changed by addressing the element optically, the element initially before the addressing is in a metastable state generated in advance. A multistable optical logic element has been made proximity-addressable by providing at least a colour light source (1) for optical addressing and at least one colour-sensitive optical detector (5) adjacent to the light-sensitive material. In a method for preparing of the light-sensitive material (1) a desired initial metastable state is generated in the photocycle and assigned a determined logical value for the element. In a method for optical addressing of the optical logic element steps for respectively writing and storing, reading, erasing and switching comprises generating transitions between states in the photocycle and detection of the states. Use in an optical logical device for storing and processing of data.