Optical transmission system using an optical phase conjugation device

1. An optical system comprising:

an optical fiber path suitable for propagating an optical signal at least in a first direction;

a plurality M of optical amplifiers disposed along said optical fiber path so as to divide said optical fiber path in N spans of optical fiber, said spans of optical fiber having substantially a length L amp and comprising at least one transmission optical fiber having an effective length L eff , and

an optical phase conjugation device associated to an amplifier of said plurality of amplifiers,

said optical phase conjugation device being disposed in combination with a dispersion compensator, said compensator being disposed upstream from said amplifier associated to the optical phase conjugated device, said compensator being adapted for introducing an accumulated dispersion such as to substantially compensate a dispersion accumulated in a portion having a length (L amp −L eff ) of a span immediately upstream from said amplifier associated to said optical phase conjugation device.

2. The optical system according to claim 1 , wherein said dispersion compensator has a sign of dispersion opposite to a sign of dispersion of said span immediately upstream from said amplifier at a wavelength of said optical signal, and said optical phase conjugation device is disposed downstream from said dispersion compensator.

3. The optical system according to claim 1 , wherein said dispersion compensator has a sign of dispersion equal to a sign of dispersion of said span immediately upstream from said amplifier at a wavelength of said optical signal, and said optical phase conjugation device is disposed upstream from said dispersion compensator.

4. The optical system according to claim 1 , wherein said dispersion compensator includes a length of optical fiber.

5. The optical system according to claim 4 , wherein said length of optical fiber has an absolute value of dispersion coefficient higher than or equal to three times the dispersion coefficient of said transmission optical fiber at a wavelength of said optical signal.

6. The optical system according to claim 1 , wherein said dispersion compensator further comprises a chirped fiber grating.

7. The optical system according to claim 2 , wherein said dispersion compensator further comprises a chirped fiber grating.

8. The optical system according to claim 3 , wherein said dispersion compensator further comprises a chirped fiber grating.

9. The optical system according to claim 1 , wherein said optical amplifiers comprise erbium-doped fiber amplifiers.

10. The optical system according to claim 1 , further comprising a transmitting station and a receiving station, said transmitting station being connected at an input end and said receiving station being connected to an output end of said optical fiber path.

11. A method for assembling an optical system comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality M of optical amplifiers;

connecting said plurality of optical amplifiers by N spans of optical fiber so as to form an optical fiber path, said spans of optical fiber having substantially a length L amp and comprising at least one transmission optical fiber having an effective length L eff ; and

associating a phase conjugation device to an amplifier along said optical fiber path; said step of associating comprising:

disposing a dispersion compensator upstream from said amplifier associated to the optical phase conjugated device, and

disposing said phase conjugation device in combination with said dispersion compensator, said compensator being adapted for introducing an accumulated dispersion such as to substantially compensate a dispersion accumulated in a portion having a length (L amp −L eff ) of a span immediately upstream from said amplifier associated to said optical phase conjugation device.

12. A method of operating of an optical transmission system comprising an optical fiber path comprising at least one transmission optical fiber having an effective length L eff and a plurality of optical amplifiers disposed along said optical fiber path so as to divide said optical fiber path in N spans of optical fiber having substantially a length L amp , comprising:

inserting an optical signal at an input end of said optical fiber path;

amplifying said optical signal along said fiber spans by said plurality of optical amplifiers;

accumulating a dispersion of said optical signal along said optical fiber path;

phase-conjugating said optical signal near a first amplifier of said plurality of optical amplifiers so that said optical signal diminishes its accumulated dispersion, in absolute value, after said step of phase-conjugating; and

passing said optical signal, before said first amplifier, through a compensator, said compensator introducing an accumulated dispersion such as to substantially compensate a dispersion accumulated in a portion having a length (L amp −L eff ) of a span immediately upstream from said first amplifier.

13. A method of upgrading an optical transmission system comprising an optical fiber path, the optical fiber path including at least one transmission optical fiber having an effective length L eff and a plurality of optical amplifiers disposed along said optical fiber path so as to divide said optical fiber path in N spans of optical fiber having substantially a length L amp , comprising:

disposing a phase conjugation device in association with one of said plurality of optical amplifiers in combination with a dispersion compensator disposed upstream from said one amplifier, said compensator being adapted for introducing an accumulated dispersion such as to substantially compensate a dispersion accumulated in a portion having a length (L amp −L eff ) of a span immediately upstream from said one amplifier associated to said optical phase conjugation device.