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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/J51832/01
Title: OPTOELECTRONIC FEED-BACK FOR WIDE BANDWIDTH (THZ) OPTICAL DATA TRANSFER
Principal Investigator: McCall, Professor M
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Physics
Organisation: Imperial College London
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 March 1994 Ends: 28 February 1997 Value (£): 168,226
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Optical Communications
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Communications
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
The aim of this project is to achieve wide bandwidth (THz) transfer of optical data by means of multiwave mixing in semiconductor amplifiers. Optoelectronic feedback is employed to enhance the transfer efficiency and similar techniques are to be used to observe enhanced phase conjugation and dynamic line narrowing in nearly degenerate four wave mixing geometries.Progress:The primary task for the first year of this project has been to establish, a new laboratory facility and conduct testing, characterisation and preliminary experiments. Generous device support has been secured from two major industrial associates. GEC have supplied a number of dual section distributed feedback lasers and BT have supplied a number of semiconductor optical amplifiers. A testing facility has been constructed capable of measuring, for example, spectral and light-current and/or gain characteristics of lasers and amplifiers. Features of the facility include: an optical spectrum analyser for observing real-time spectra to 10 MHz resolution, highly stable laser diode power supplies with integral temperature control towithin 0.1C and automated control and data acquisition via a Tektronix scope and a Dell pc. Along with the test facility an experimental set up for performing the wave mixing experiments has been established. We are now routinely able to achieve colinear nearly degenerate four wave mixing using the lasers and amplifiers acquired for the project. We have utilised this frequency mixing to generate sidebands on a probe signal displaced by about 4THz form the original signals. This already demonstrates a simplified form of the wide bandwidth data transfer. We have also recently observed the optical beats between independent laser sources on a fast photodiode which generates the optoelectronic feedback. Our first results are to be reported at the IEE colloquium Towards Terabit Transmission , to take place on 19th May.
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Organisation Website: http://www.imperial.ac.uk