Apparatus for dispersion compensating a signal that propagates along a signal path

1. Apparatus for dispersion compensating a signal that propagates along a signal path, comprising:

a grating defined by regions; and

a tuning means; and

wherein;

the grating is characterized by a wavelength operating range and a group delay that varies with wavelength;

the group delay is equal at a plurality of pairs of wavelengths that are separated within the wavelength operating range; and

the grating reflects each wavelength pair from a same region of the grating, and different wavelength pairs from different regions of the grating;

the apparatus further comprising a dispersion compensator configured to provide primary compensation of the signal, wherein the primary compensator is tunable.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the grating is a fibre Bragg grating.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the grating is characterised by a second order dispersion and a third order dispersion, and wherein a first magnitude defined by a product of half the third order dispersion multiplied by the wavelength operating range is greater than a second magnitude defined by the second order dispersion.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the grating comprises a plurality of lines separated from one another by a separation, and wherein the separation between the lines is equal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the grating comprises a plurality of lines separated from one another by a separation, and wherein the separation between the lines varies.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tuning means comprises one of a fibre stretcher, a fibre compressor, a bender, or a heating element.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the grating is defined by a length; and

the tuning means is configured to perturb the grating such that the grating is defined by a uniform strain applied along at least a portion of its length.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the grating is defined by a length; and

the tuning means perturbs the grating linearly along at least a portion of its length.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the grating is defined by a length; and

the tuning means perturbs the grating non-linearly along at least a portion of its length.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dispersion compensator comprises dispersion compensating fibre.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 and wherein:

the grating is a first grating; and

the dispersion compensator comprises a chirped fibre Bragg grating.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the dispersion compensator comprises two fibre Bragg gratings that are characterised by a chirp having a linear component and a non-linear component.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the two fibre Bragg gratings are of the same design.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the two fibre Bragg gratings are of different designs.

15. Apparatus for dispersion compensating a signal that propagates along a signal path, comprising:

a grating;

a tuning means;

wherein, the first grating is characterized by a wavelength operating range, a center wavelength, and a group delay that varies with wavelength, wherein the center wavelength corresponds to a wavelength at which the variation of group delay with wavelength is zero, the group delay is equal at a plurality of pairs of wavelengths, each pair of wavelengths that are separated within the wavelength operating range having a first wavelength that is less than the center wavelength and a second wavelength that is greater than the center wavelength, and wherein the grating reflects each wavelength pair from the same region of the grating, and different wavelength pairs from different regions of the grating; and

a dispersion compensator to provide primary compensation of the signal, wherein the dispersion compensator is tunable.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the dispersion compensator comprises an optical fiber.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the dispersion compensator comprises a chirped fibre Bragg grating.