Patent ID: 6362874
Filing Date: 2002-03-26
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
In an optical transmission system, a polarization mode dispersion measuring arrangement comprisinga polarization beam splitter responsive to a tapped-off portion of an optical signal for dividing the signal into first and second orthogonally polarized signals; a narrowband filter, responsive separately to the first and second orthogonal signals, for generating therefrom a center frequency component, an upper sideband signal component and a lower sideband signal component for both said first and second orthogonal signals; a first phase-sensitive single sideband detector circuit, responsive to the components generated by the narrowband filter for the first orthogonally polarized signal and producing as an output magnitude and phase information for said first orthogonally polarized signal; and a second phase-sensitive single sideband detector circuit, responsive to the components generated by the narrowband filter for the second orthogonally polarized signal and producing as an output magnitude and phase information for said second orthogonally polarized signal, the combination of the outputs from the first and second phase-sensitive single sideband detector circuit forming the polarization mode dispersion measurement output of the arrangement.