Patent ID: 8233807

Claim:
An apparatus for providing high gain to optical pulse signals comprising: a re-circulating fiber optic loop having an optical amplifier coupled therein for emulating multiple optical signal amplifiers; and, an optical switch means coupled to said re-circulating fiber optic loop and timed to admit successive optical input pulses of constant amplitude from an optical pulse source into said fiber optic loop for circulation therein, and at substantially the same time and at each admission during steady state operation, output an optical pulse that has achieved a predetermined amount of amplitude amplification after a pre-determined number of re-circulation cycles within said fiber optic loop, wherein each pulse admitted into said loop being amplified by said optical amplifier in each re-circulating cycle, each successively admitted pulse always having an increased amplitude compared to each successive optical pulse admitted in said fiber optic loop, whereby during steady state operation, a fixed number of local optical pulses is circulating in said fiber optic loop each at a successively greater amplitude.