This includes studies on wave propagation and fiber properties, optoelectronic devices and circuits, encoding-decoding techniques, and integrated optics interfacing. Several fiber optic systems are available for both analog and digital system simulations. In addition, the laboratory is equipped with a hardwired minicomputer terminal and several personal computers to enhance the direct computational capabilities.
Various topics are currently under study.
The most recent research project added to the lab deals with polarization-preserving optical fibers. Emphasis is on formulating generalized propagation theory for eventual optimization of the overall system. Manufacturing variations are included as a stochastic process in scrambling the field polarization in long-haul fiber links. This has an important effect for interconnecting integrated lightwave modules which are sensitive to the electric-field orientation. The studies give rise to criteria for enhancing the performance of emitters and detectors in addition to providing future device design information.