Patent ID: 7450848

Claim:
An optical communication system, comprising: a) a plurality of transceiver ports each comprising: a first transmitter configured to produce a downstream MLM-spectrum signal, wherein the spectrum of the downstream MLM-spectrum signal comprises a plurality of distinct narrow-spectrum peaks each corresponding to a longitudinal mode in the first transmitter; a first temperature controller configured to vary the temperature of the first transmitter to tune the spectrum of the downstream MLM-spectrum signal; and a first receiver configured to receive an upstream signal; and b) a first wavelength filter, comprising: a plurality of first branching ports each associated with a specific wavelength channel, wherein each of the first branching ports is in connection with a transceiver port and is configured to receive the downstream MLM-spectrum signal from the first transmitter and send an upstream signal to the first receiver, wherein the first temperature controller in the transceiver port is configured to lock at least one of the plurality of distinct narrow-spectrum peaks in the spectrum of the downstream MLM-spectrum signal to the specific wavelength channel; and a first common port configured to output a downstream spectrum-sliced signal in response to the downstream MLM-spectrum signal, wherein the spectrum of the downstream spectrum-sliced signal is located in a wavelength channel specifically associated with the first branching port at which the downstream MLM-spectrum signal is received.