Patent ID: 7447444

Claim:
An optical pulse train generator operatively coupled to a light source generating an optical signal, comprising: a shaper coupled to the light source for shaping the optical signal from the light source to produce a shaped optical signal; a compressor coupled to the shaper for compressing the shaped optical signal from the compressor to produce a shaped and compressed optical signal in the form of an optical pulse train; wherein the shaper comprises a first CPF (comb-like profiled fiber) formed by an alternating arrangement of nonlinear medium and dispersion medium; wherein the compressor comprises a second CPF (comb-like profiled fiber) formed by an alternating arrangement of nonlinear medium and dispersion medium; wherein the shaper has an average dispersion profile which increases in propagation direction of the optical signal; and wherein the compressor has an average dispersion profile which decreases in the propagation direction of the optical signal; wherein the nonlinear medium is given by L NL <L D , the dispersion medium is given by L NL >L D , and L NL and L D are expressed by an equation: L D= T 0 2 /β 2 ,L NL= 1/ yp 0 where: To: pulse 1/e 2 width P 0 : pulse peak power y: nonlinearity coefficient β 2 : dispersion value.