Patent ID: 8306435

Claim:
A receiver for recovering transmitted information carried by a received optical signal that has been affected by dispersion such that a frequency spectrum of a corresponding detected electrical signal exhibits peaks and troughs of signal strength, the receiver including: an optical splitter having an input port arranged to receive the received optical signal and a plurality of output ports, wherein a proportion of optical power at the input port is transmitted to each said output port; a plurality of optical detectors operably connected to respective output ports of the optical splitter, for generating a corresponding plurality of electrical signals; one or more optical phase shifters, each being disposed between an output port of the optical splitter and a respective one of said optical detectors, wherein each optical phase shifter applies a frequency-dependent phase shift to an optical signal passing therethrough, whereby a frequency shift is induced in the peaks and troughs of signal strength in a corresponding detected electrical signal; and an electronic processor for processing the plurality of electrical signals to recover said transmitted information, wherein said electronic processor includes analog and/or digital electronic components configured to combine two or more of the plurality of electrical signals and/or information recovered separately therefrom, to provide improved accuracy or reliability of information recovery as compared with detecting and processing only the received optical signal by utilizing one or more peaks of signal strength in the frequency spectrum of at least one of the electrical signals to compensate for corresponding troughs in signal strength of at least another one of the electrical signals.