Systems and methods for transmitting routable optical energy packets

1. A system for transmitting routable energy packets, comprising:

an optical power source configured to:

generate an optical power packet having optical energy;

generate an optical data packet comprising routing information, wherein the routing information is configured to control a route of the optical power packet; and

transmit the optical power packet and the optical data packet via a conduit such that the optical power packet and the optical data packet are co-propagating; and

a processing circuit configured to:

generate the routing information to be transmitted within the optical data packet; and

control a transmission by the optical power source;

wherein the routing information includes a time delay to apply to the optical power packet.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the routing information includes a switching instruction corresponding to a node along the route, wherein the node is between the optical power source and a destination of the optical power packet, and wherein the switching instruction controls routing of the optical power packet.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the switching instruction additionally controls routing of the optical data packet by the node.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the switching instruction corresponds to a plurality of nodes along the route.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the routing information specifies how to convert the optical energy to electrical energy.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the routing information identifies the optical energy to be delivered by the optical power packet.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the routing information identifies at least one of an amount of optical energy, a time and power profile of the optical energy, a polarization of the optical energy, a phase of the optical energy, and a frequency of the optical energy.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the routing information identifies a price of the optical energy.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the routing information is generated based on the price of the optical energy.

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the routing information identifies an allowable propagation loss for the optical power packet.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the routing information identifies an amount of optical energy to be added to the optical power packet to compensate for propagation losses.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical data packet is encoded within the optical power packet, and wherein the optical data packet is manifested as at least one of an intensity modulation of the optical power packet, and a phase modulation of the optical power packet.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical data packet is time-separated from the optical power packet.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein a segment of the optical data packet is sequentially interspersed with segments of the optical power packet.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical power packet is configured as one or more virtual packets to be transmitted in a continuous pulse, and wherein the optical data packet is configured to correspond to the one or more of the virtual packets.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein each virtual packet is based on a defined amount of energy.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the optical power source is further configured to transmit an additional optical data packet for each additional virtual packet based on the defined amount of energy.

18. A system for routing energy packets, comprising:

a router device configured to:

receive, via a conduit, an optical power packet having optical energy;

receive, via the conduit, a co-propagating optical data packet comprising routing information; and

route the optical power packet; and

a processing circuit configured to:

analyze the routing information of the optical data packet; and

control routing of the router device such that the optical power packet is transmitted based on the routing information;

wherein controlling the routing includes transmitting the optical power packet to an address that is different from an address specified in the routing information.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the system is configured to use at least a portion of the energy of the received optical power packet for power.

20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the router device is further configured to route the optical data packet, and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to control routing of the routing device such that the optical data packet is transmitted based on the routing information.

21. The system of claim 18 , wherein the router device further comprises an optical power source, and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to use the optical power source to increase the optical energy of the optical power packet in order to compensate for an energy loss of the optical power packet.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to determine the optical energy increase based on at least one of an allowable amount of energy loss specified in the routing information and an amount of required optical energy transmission specified in the routing information.

23. The system of claim 21 , wherein the increase in the optical energy is based on an amount of optical energy to be added specified by the routing information.

24. The system of claim 18 , wherein the router device further comprises an optical storage device, and wherein controlling the routing includes transmitting at least one of the optical power packet and the optical data packet to the optical storage device in order to delay further transmission of at least one of the optical power packet and the optical data packet.

25. The system of claim 24 , wherein the optical storage device packet includes at least one of an optical fiber loop, a mirror-folded beampath, and a high-index artificial or natural material.