Patent ID: 8478132

Claim:
An optical system, comprising: a laser device, the laser device configured for transmitting a laser signal; a first polarization beam combiner, the first polarization beam combiner being connected to the laser device via a first polarization maintaining fiber portion, the first polarization maintaining fiber portion implementing a forty-five degree polarization maintaining splice, the forty-five degree polarization maintaining splice configured for splitting the laser signal to provide a carrier signal and a reference signal to the first polarization beam combiner via the first polarization maintaining fiber portion; a data encoder, the data encoder being connected to the first polarization beam combiner via a second polarization maintaining fiber portion, the data encoder configured for receiving the carrier signal from the first polarization beam combiner via the second polarization maintaining fiber portion, the data encoder configured for providing a phase encoded signal based upon the received carrier signal; and a second polarization beam combiner, the second polarization beam combiner being connected to the data encoder via a third polarization maintaining fiber portion, the second polarization beam combiner being connected to the first polarization beam combiner via a fourth polarization maintaining fiber portion, the second polarization beam combiner configured for receiving the phase encoded signal from the data encoder via the third polarization maintaining fiber portion, the second polarization beam combiner being configured for receiving the reference signal from the first polarization beam combiner via the fourth polarization maintaining fiber portion.