Method and apparatus for dispersion mitigation in optical links

1. An optical communications system comprising:

a. an optical transmitter that generates a modulated optical signal at an output;

b. an optical link having an input that is optically coupled to the output of the optical transmitter, the modulated optical signal propagating through the optical link so that the dispersion of the optical link is imprinted onto an optical spectrum of the modulated optical signal;

c. an optical filter that is optically coupled between the output of the optical transmitter and the input of the optical link, the optical filter reducing second-order non-linearities that result in dispersion in the modulated optical signal during transmission through the optical link;

d. a demodulator having an input that is optically coupled to an output of the optical link, the demodulating receiving the modulated optical signal propagated through the optical link and filtering at least a portion of the optical spectrum with the imprinted dispersion of the optical link, thereby mitigating effects of dispersion in the modulated optical signal and generating a demodulated optical signal at an output; and

e. an optical detector having an input that is optically coupled to the output of the demodulator, the optical detector generating an electrical data signal.

2. The optical communications system of claim 1 wherein the modulated optical signal comprises a DPSK modulated optical signal.

3. The optical communications system of claim 1 wherein the modulated optical signal comprises a NRZ optical signal.

4. The optical communications system of claim 1 wherein the modulated optical signal comprises an RZ optical signal.

5. The optical communications system of claim 1 wherein the modulated optical signal comprises a DuoBinary optical signal.

6. The optical communications system of claim 1 further comprising an optical filter that is optically coupled between the output of the optical link and the input of the demodulator, the optical filter filtering at least a portion of the optical spectrum with the imprinted dispersion of the optical link, thereby mitigating effects of dispersion in the modulated optical signal.

7. The optical communications system of claim 1 wherein the demodulator comprises a narrow band optical filter demodulator.

8. The optical communications system of claim 1 wherein the demodulator comprises a delay-interferometric demodulator.

9. The optical communications system of claim 8 wherein a delay of the delay-interferometric demodulator is less than a 1-bit delay.

10. The optical communications system of claim 8 wherein a delay of the delay-interferometric demodulator is in the range of about a 0.55-bit delay to a 0.75-bit delay.

11. The optical communications system of claim 1 wherein the demodulator comprises an in-balance interferometric demodulator having arms that propagate mismatched amplitudes.

12. An optical communications system comprising:

a. an optical transmitter that generates a modulated optical signal at an output;

b. an optical link having an input that is optically coupled to the output of the optical transmitter, the modulated optical signal propagating through the optical link so that the dispersion of the optical link is imprinted onto an optical spectrum of the modulated optical signal;

c. an optical filter that is optically coupled between the output of the optical transmitter and the input of the optical link, the optical filter reducing non-linearities that result in dispersion in the modulated optical signal during transmission through the optical link;

d. a reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexer positioned in the optical link that generates a diffraction pattern which filters at least a portion of the optical spectrum of the modulated optical signal with the imprinted dispersion of the optical link, wherein the reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexer generates a diffraction pattern that provides a phase shift which causes a predetermined amount of dispersion that compensates for dispersion in the optical modulation signal during transmission through the optical link;

e. a demodulator having an input that is optically coupled to an output of the optical link, the demodulating receiving the modulated optical signal propagated through the optical link and generating a demodulated optical signal at an output; and

f. an optical detector having an input that is optically coupled to the output of the demodulator, the optical detector generating an electrical data signal.

13. The optical communications system of claim 12 wherein the reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexer comprises a liquid crystal on silicon reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexer.

14. The optical communications system of claim 12 further comprising an optical filter that is optically coupled between the output of the optical link and the input of the demodulator, the optical filter filtering at least a portion of the optical spectrum with the imprinted dispersion of the optical link, thereby mitigating effects of dispersion in the modulated optical signal.

15. The optical communications system of claim 12 wherein the demodulator comprises a narrow band optical filter demodulator.

16. The optical communications system of claim 12 wherein the demodulator comprises a delay-interferometric demodulator.

17. The optical communications system of claim 16 wherein a delay of the delay-interferometric demodulator is less than a 1-bit delay.

18. The optical communications system of claim 17 wherein the demodulator comprises an in-balance interferometric demodulator having arms that propagate mismatched amplitudes.

19. A method of mitigating effects of dispersion in an optical communications system, the method comprising:

a. generating a modulated optical signal at an output;

b. optical filtering the modulated optical signal to reducing non-linearities that will result in dispersion in the modulated optical signal during transmission through an optical link;

c. propagating the modulated optical signal through the optical link, the dispersion of the optical link being imprinted onto an optical spectrum of the modulated optical signal;

d. filtering at least a portion of the optical spectrum with the imprinted dispersion of the optical link by generating a diffraction pattern along the optical link with a reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexer that provides a phase shift which causes a predetermined amount of dispersion that compensates for dispersion in the optical modulation signal during transmission through the optical link;

e. demodulating the optical signal; and

f. generating an electrical signal from the demodulated optical signal.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the filtering at least a portion of the optical spectrum with the imprinted dispersion of the optical link comprises reducing second-order non-linearities in the modulated optical signal that result in pulse broadening in the optical modulation signal during transmission through the optical link.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the filtering at least a portion of the optical spectrum with the imprinted dispersion of the optical link comprises introducing a linear phase shift across a pass band associated with the filtering.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the filtering at least a portion of the optical spectrum with the imprinted dispersion of the optical link comprises demodulating the modulated optical signal with a narrow band optical filter.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the filtering at least a portion of the optical spectrum with the imprinted dispersion of the optical link comprises demodulating the modulated optical signal with a delay interferometer.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising selecting a delay of the delay interferometer that mitigates effects of dispersion in the modulated optical signal.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the selected delay of the delay interferometer is in the range of 0.55-bit delay to 0.75-bit delay.