Patent ID: 6920263

Claim:
A device for producing optical pulses comprising: an optical mirror comprising an input port, an output port, and a fiber optic loop having two ends, said input port optically connected to both ends of said fiber optic loop such that an optical pulse input into said input port is split into two lesser magnitude optical pulses which are counter-propagating pulses that propagate in opposite directions through said fiber optic loop, said output port also optically connected to each of said ends of said fiber optic loop so as to receive optical energy from both of said counter-propagating pulses, wherein said fiber optic loop comprises a comb-like dispersion profiled fiber having three or more sections characterized by changes in dispersion and arranged to compress said pulses propagating therethrough, said sections having lengths such that said counter-propagating pulses are phase-shifted with respect to each other so as to optically interfere with each other to prevent noise associated with said optical pulses from being output from said output port.