Optical communications

Abstract

A dispersion management system for soliton or soliton-like transmission systems comprises a length of optical fibre (L) in which a plurality of sections (l) made up of components (N, A) of opposite sign dispersions are concatenated together. The duration of the dispersion compensation phase is short in comparison with the propagation interval in the remainder of the system and that the path average dispersion is anomalous.

1 . A dispersion management system for soliton or soliton-like transmission systems in which fibers of opposite sign dispersions are concatenated together characterised in that the duration of a dispersion compensation phase is short in comparison with the propagation interval in the remainder of the system and that the path average dispersion is anomalous. 
     
     
         2 . A dispersion management system for soliton or soliton-like transmission systems according to  claim 1  characterised in that the system excludes arrangements in which the dispersion map of one fibre (N) is substantially closer to zero than that of is complementary fibre (A). 
     
     
         3 . A dispersion management system for soliton or soliton-like transmission systems according to  claim 2  characterised in that the difference between fibre dispersions is less than 12.0 ps2/km. 
     
     
         4 . A dispersion management system for soliton or soliton-like transmission systems according to  claim 2  characterised in that the difference between fibre dispersions is less than 4.0 ps2/km. 
     
     
         5 . A dispersion management system for soliton or soliton-like transmission systems according to  claim 2  characterised in that the difference between fibre dispersions is less than 0.1 ps2/km. 
     
     
         6 . A dispersion management system for soliton or soliton-like transmission systems according to  claim 1  characterised in that compensation is provided by discrete dispersion compensator means.