Hanscom AFB Sigma Xi Meeting

Wednesday, 4 December 2002
AFRL/SNH Building 1128 Conference Room,
above parking lot (Steve Mittleman x4038)
Refreshments: 2:30 to
Talk: 3:00 - 4:OO PM

Nonlinear Propagation Effects in Fiber Communication

Paul L. Kelley
Department of Electrical Engineering
Former Director of the Tufts University Electro-Optics Technology Center

Abstract

There are a number of nonlinear optical processes that are important in pulse propagation optical fibers. We will concentrate on those arising from the nonlinear index of refraction. Nonlinear phase modulation, which includes both self and cross phase modulation, produces frequency broadening of pulses. Combined with fiber dispersion this leads to: modulation instability, self compression and self dispersion, solitons, and pulse to pulse amplitude interaction. We will discuss both the detrimental and beneficial aspects of these processes. Particular attention will be paid to understanding dispersion managed soliton effects.

Biography


Paul L. Kelley studied physics at Rutgers University (BA, 1956), Cornell University (MS, 1959) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (PhD, 1962). Dr. Kelley is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at Tufts University where he was the Director of the Electro-Optics Technology Center. Until 1992, he was a staff member at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and, for a number of years, held the position of Associate Leader of the Quantum Electronics Group. This Group developed advanced solid state and semiconductor lasers for application to laser radar, atmospheric compensation systems, remote sensing, and communications. Dr. Kelley's interests include tunable lasers, nonlinear optics, laser spectroscopy, laser remote sensing, and optical communications, information processing, and medicine. Dr. Kelley has been co-editor of the Academic Press series: Quantum Electronics: Principles and Applications. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and of the Optical Society of America. He has been the editor of the Optics Letters and chairman of the Optical Society’s Publications Council. Dr. Kelley has served as program chair and conference chair for numerous professional society conferences. He has served on a number of advisory committees to the Federal Government and is a member the Advisory Group on Electron Devices. In 1998, Dr. Kelley received the Distinguished Service Award of the Optical Society of America.