In-service optical dispersion determining system and method

1. A method carried out by an optical receiving component, the method comprising the steps of:

splitting a first optical signal into a first component and a second component;

applying each of a plurality of dispersion compensation values to the first component to generate an at least partially dispersion compensated first component;

introducing a relative delay time τ between the at least partially dispersion compensated first component and the second component;

combining the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component and the relatively delayed second component to generate a combined optical signal;

determining power of the combined optical signal while each of a plurality of dispersion compensation values are applied to the first component;

determining a dispersion compensation value of the plurality of dispersion compensation values that results in a minimum detected power of the combined optical signal; and

determining that dispersion of the first optical signal is substantially equal to the dispersion compensation value of the plurality of dispersion compensation values that results in the minimum detected power of the combined optical signal.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of:

selecting a channel wavelength signal from a first wavelength division multiplexed optical signal comprising a plurality of channel wavelength signals, wherein

the first optical signal comprises the channel wavelength signal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the steps of the method are repeated for each channel wavelength signal of the plurality of channel wavelength signals of the first wavelength division multiplexed optical signal.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of selecting a channel wavelength signal from a first wavelength division multiplexed optical signal comprising a plurality of channel wavelength signals comprises:

selectively filtering the first wavelength division multiplexed optical signal to pass only the channel wavelength signal.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising a step of:

tapping a second wavelength division multiplexed optical signal to generate the first wavelength division multiplexed optical signal.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of:

tapping a second optical signal to generate the first optical signal.

7. The optical receiving component of claim 1 wherein:

splitting the first optical signal into the first component and the second component comprises:

receiving the first optical signal on a first port of a four-port optical coupler; and

optically coupling the first component and the second component to a third port and a fourth port of the four-port optical coupler respectively;

combining the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component and the relatively delayed second component to generate the combined optical signal comprises:

receiving the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component at one of the third port and the fourth port of the four-port optical coupler;

receiving the relatively delayed second component at the other one of the third port and the fourth port of the four-port optical coupler; and

optically coupling the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component and the relatively delayed second component to a second port of the four-port optical coupler.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

optically isolating the first port of the four-port optical coupler so that the first optical signal is allowed to propagate in a first direction to reach the first port of the four-port optical coupler, while preventing an optical signal from the first port of the four-port optical coupler from propagating in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

receiving the first component from the third port of the four-port optical coupler on a first port of a circulator;

receiving the second component from the fourth port of the four-port optical coupler on a third port of the circulator; and

circulating the first component to a second port of the circulator and circulating the second component to the first port of the circulator, wherein applying each of the plurality of dispersion compensation values to the first component comprises applying each of the plurality of dispersion compensation values to the first component from the second port of the circulator to generate the at least partially dispersion compensated first component;

substantially reflecting all of the at least partially dispersion compensated first component back to the second port of the circulator;

circulating the substantially reflected at least partially dispersion compensated first component received on the second port of the circulator to the third port of the circulator, wherein:

receiving the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component at one of the third port and the fourth port of the four-port optical coupler comprises receiving the substantially reflected at least partially dispersion compensated first component from the third port of the circulator on the fourth port of the four-port optical coupler; and

receiving the relatively delayed second component at the other one of the third port and the fourth port of the four-port optical coupler comprises receiving the second component from the second port of the circulator on the third port of the four-port optical coupler.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein:

applying each of the plurality of dispersion compensation values to the first component to generate an at least partially dispersion compensated first component comprises applying each of the plurality of dispersion compensation values to the first component from the third port of the four-port optical coupler; and

introducing a relative delay time τ between the at least partially dispersion compensated first component and the second component comprises:

substantially reflecting all of the at least partially dispersion compensated first component back to the third port of the four-port optical coupler as the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component; and

substantially reflecting all of the second component back to the fourth port of the four-port optical coupler as the relatively delayed second component.

11. An optical receiving component comprising:

a splitter-delayer-combiner that:

splits a first optical signal into a first component and a second component;

introduces a relative time delay τ between an at least partially dispersion compensated first component and the second component; and

combines the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component and the relatively delayed second component to generate a combined optical signal;

a tunable dispersion compensation module (TDCM) that applies each of a plurality of dispersion compensation values to the first component to generate the at least partially dispersion compensated first component; and

a controller that controls the TDCM and determines that dispersion of the first optical signal is substantially equal to a dispersion compensation value of the plurality of dispersion compensation values that results in a minimum detected power of the combined optical signal.

12. The optical receiving component of claim 11 further comprising an optical tap that taps a second optical signal to generate the first optical signal.

13. The optical receiving component of claim 11 further comprising:

a channel-wavelength selector that selects a channel wavelength of a first wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical signal comprising a plurality of channel wavelengths to generate the first optical signal, wherein

the controller controls the channel-wavelength selector to select the channel wavelength from the plurality of channel wavelengths to generate the first optical signal.

14. The optical receiving component of claim 13 , wherein the channel-wavelength selector comprises a tunable filter that selects the channel wavelength by filtering the other channel wavelengths of the plurality of channel wavelengths.

15. The optical receiving component of claim 13 , further comprising an optical tap that taps a second WDM optical signal to generate the first WDM optical signal.

16. The optical receiving component of claim 11 wherein the splitter-delayer-combiner comprises:

a four-port optical coupler having a first port, a second port, a third port and a fourth port, that:

splits the first optical signal into the first component and the second component;

passes the first component and the second component to its third port and its fourth port respectively;

receives the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component at one of its third port and its fourth port;

receives the relatively delayed second component at the other one of its third port and its fourth port;

combines the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component and the relatively delayed second component to generate the combined optical signal; and

passes the combined optical signal to its second port; and

an optical isolator that:

allows the first optical signal to propagate in a first direction to reach the first port of the four-port optical coupler; and

prevents an optical signal from the first port of the four-port optical coupler from propagating in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

17. The optical receiving component of claim 16 wherein the splitter-delayer-combiner further comprises:

a circulator having a first port, a second port, and a third port, that:

receives the first component from the third port of the four-port optical coupler on its first port;

receives the second component from the fourth port of the four-port optical coupler on its third port; and

passes the first component to its second port and pass the second component to its first port, wherein the TDCM applies each of the plurality of dispersion compensation values to the first component from the second port of the circulator to generate the at least partially dispersion compensated first component;

a delay element that introduces the relative delay time τ between the at least partially dispersion compensated first component and the second component; and

a mirror that substantially reflects all of the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component back to the second port of the circulator;

the circulator passes the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component received on its second port to its third port, wherein

the four-port optical coupler:

receives the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component from the third port of the circulator on its fourth port; and

receives the relatively delayed second component from the first port of the circulator on its third port.

18. The optical receiving component of claim 17 wherein the four-port optical coupler comprises a 3-dB fiber coupler.

19. The optical receiving component of claim 16 wherein the splitter-delayer-combiner comprises:

a delay element that introduces the relative delay time τ between the first component from the third port of the four-port optical coupler and the second component from the fourth port of the four-port optical coupler;

a first mirror;

a second mirror that substantially reflects all of the second component from the fourth port of the four-port optical coupler back to the fourth port of the four-port optical coupler as the relatively delayed second component, wherein

the TDCM applies each of the plurality of dispersion compensation values to the relatively delayed first component from the delay element to generate the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component; and

the first mirror substantially reflects all of the relatively delayed at least partially dispersion compensated first component back to the third port of the four-port optical coupler.

20. The optical receiving component of claim 19 wherein the four-port optical coupler comprises a 3-dB fiber coupler.