Determining in-band optical signal-to-noise ratios in optical signals with time-varying polarization states using polarization extinction

1. A method for measuring the optical signal-to-noise ratio of an optical signal containing a plurality of wavelength channels having time-varying polarization states, comprising:

(a) filtering the optical signal to form a test signal comprising one of the wavelength channels or a selected optical frequency in one of the selected wavelength channels;

(b) transforming the polarization state of the test signal into a random or pseudo-random sequence of different transformed polarization states;

(c) analyzing the transformed polarization states of the test signal with an optical spectrum analyzer and a polarization filter at a predetermined fixed orientation;

(d) measuring optical power in the test signal transmitted through the polarization filter at each of the transformed polarization states in order to determine a maximum and a minimum measured optical signal power; and

(e) calculating a polarization extinction ratio from the measurements of the maximum and minimum received signals in order to obtain an optical signal-to-noise ratio for the test signal;

wherein the measurement time in step (d) is sufficiently short so that the polarization state of the optical light signal in the selected wavelength channel is substantially constant during the measurement of the optical power, thereby limiting a degradation in the calculated polarization extinction ratio; and

wherein step (b) comprises:

i) randomly or pseudo-randomly modulating the state of polarization of the test signal at a first rate; and

ii) transforming the modulated polarization state of the test signal into the random or pseudo-random sequence of different polarization states at a second rate slower than the first rate.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sequence of transformed polarization states generated in step (b) substantially covers the entire Poincaré sphere.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sequence of transformed polarization states generated in step (b) is composed of statistically independent polarization states in which any two succeeding polarization states are uncorrelated.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the polarization states generated in step (b) are different for each calculation in step (e) in which an optical signal-to-noise ratio for the light signal in the selected wavelength channel is calculated.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step (c) comprises splitting the test signal into a pair of predetermined orthogonal polarization states, and wherein step (d) comprises measuring optical powers in both orthogonal polarization states.

6. A method for measuring the optical signal-to-noise ratio of an optical signal containing a plurality of wavelength channels having time-varying polarization states, comprising:

(a) filtering the optical signal to form a test signal comprising one of the wavelength channels or a selected optical frequency in one of the selected wavelength channels;

(b) transforming the polarization state of the test signal into a random or pseudo-random sequence of different transformed polarization states;

(c) analyzing the transformed polarization states of the test signal with an optical spectrum analyzer and a polarization filter at a predetermined fixed orientation;

(d) measuring optical power in the test signal transmitted through the polarization filter at each of the transformed polarization states in order to determine a maximum and a minimum measured optical signal power; and

(e) calculating a polarization extinction ratio from the measurements of the maximum and minimum received signals in order to obtain an optical signal-to-noise ratio for the test signal;

wherein the measurement time in step (d) is sufficiently short so that the polarization state of the optical light signal in the selected wavelength channel is substantially constant during the measurement of the optical power, thereby limiting a degradation in the calculated polarization extinction ratio; and

wherein step (b) comprises:

i) transforming the polarization state of the test signal into a predetermined sequence of different polarization states; and

ii) randomly or pseudo-randomly modulating the state of polarization of the transformed test signal for each state of said sequence of different polarization states at a rate which is substantially faster than the time-varying polarization changes in said sequence of different polarization states.

7. An apparatus for measuring the optical signal-to-noise ratio of an optical signal containing a plurality of wavelength channels, which have time-varying polarizations states, comprising:

an optical filter for selecting a test signal comprising one of the wavelength channels in the optical signal or an optical frequency range in one of the wavelength channels;

a polarization scrambler for randomly or pseudo-randomly modulating the polarization state of the test signal at a first rate;

an adjustable optical polarization controller for transforming the polarization state of the test signal into a random or pseudo-random sequence of substantially-different polarization states at a second rate, which is slower than the first rate;

an optical polarization filter and an optical spectrum analyzer for analyzing the transformed polarization states of the test signal;

an optical detector for measuring the optical power in the test signal transmitted through the optical polarization filter as the polarization controller is varied through the sequence of settings in order to determine a maximum and a minimum measured optical signal power; and

a signal processor for determining a maximum and a minimum measured optical power and for calculating a polarization extinction ratio from the measurements for the maximum and minimum received signals in order to obtain a signal-to-noise ratio for the test signal.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said first rate is sufficiently slow, whereby the state of polarization does not change significantly during the measurement of the optical signal power, thereby limiting a degradation in the polarization extinction ratio determination due to the time varying polarization states.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said polarization scrambler and polarization controller are stopped during the measurement of the optical signal power, thereby limiting a degradation in the polarization extinction ratio determination due to time varying polarization states.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said polarization controller comprises a cascade of two rotatable quarter-wave plates, and wherein the angular orientations of the two quarter-wave plates are varied randomly or pseudo-randomly and independently over a range of at least 180°.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the sequence of transformed polarization states generated in the adjustable optical polarization controller substantially covers the entire Poincaré sphere.

12. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the sequence of transformed polarization states generated in the optical polarization controller is composed of statistically independent polarization states in which any two succeeding polarization states are uncorrelated.

13. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the polarization states generated in the optical polarization controller are different for each calculation of the signal processor in which an optical signal-to-noise ratio for the light signal in the selected wavelength channel is calculated.

14. A method for measuring the optical signal-to-noise ratio of an optical signal containing a plurality of wavelength channels having time-varying polarization states, comprising:

transforming the polarization state of the optical signal into a random or pseudo-random sequence of different transformed polarization states;

analyzing the transformed polarization states of the optical signal with an optical spectrum analyzer and a polarization filter at a predetermined fixed orientation;

filtering the optical signal to form a test signal comprising one of the wavelength channels or a selected optical frequency in one of the selected wavelength channels;

(d) measuring optical power in the test signal transmitted through the polarization filter at each of the transformed polarization states in order to determine a maximum and a minimum measured optical signal power; and

(e) calculating a polarization extinction ratio from the measurements of the maximum and minimum received signals in order to obtain an optical signal-to-noise ratio for the test signal; wherein the measurement time in the step of measuring optical power is sufficiently short so that the polarization state of the optical light signal in the selected wavelength channel is substantially constant during the measurement of the optical power, thereby limiting a degradation in the calculated polarization extinction ratio; and

wherein the step of transforming the polarization state of the optical signal comprises:

i) randomly or pseudo-randomly modulating the state of polarization of the optical signal at a first rate; and

ii) transforming the modulated polarization state of the optical signal into the random or pseudo-random sequence of different polarization states at a second rate slower than the first rate.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the optical polarization filter splits the test signal into the first and a second orthogonal polarization states, and measures optical powers in both the first and second orthogonal polarization states.

16. A method for measuring the optical signal-to-noise ratio of an optical signal containing a plurality of wavelength channels having time-varying polarization states, comprising:

(b) transforming the polarization state of the optical signal into a random or pseudo-random sequence of different transformed polarization states;

(a) filtering the optical signal to form a test signal comprising one of the wavelength channels or a selected optical frequency in one of the selected wavelength channels;

(c) analyzing the transformed polarization states of the test signal with an optical spectrum analyzer and a polarization filter at a predetermined fixed orientation;

(d) measuring optical power in the test signal transmitted through the polarization filter at each of the transformed polarization states in order to determine a maximum and a minimum measured optical signal power; and

(e) calculating a polarization extinction ratio from the measurements of the maximum and minimum received signals in order to obtain an optical signal-to-noise ratio for the test signal; wherein the measurement time in the step of measuring optical power is sufficiently short so that the polarization state of the optical light signal in the selected wavelength channel is substantially constant during the measurement of the optical power, thereby limiting a degradation in the calculated polarization extinction ratio; and

wherein the step of transforming the polarization state of the optical signal comprises:

i) randomly or pseudo-randomly modulating the state of polarization of the test signal at a first rate; and

ii) transforming the modulated polarization state of the test signal into the random or pseudo-random sequence of different polarization states at a second rate slower than the first rate.