Optical Power Resolution Improvements in Optical Input-Output Nonlinear Circuits

We present a theoretical study on the optical input-output nonlinear circuit (OIONLC) technique, which was recently proposed by our research group for the first time. The proposed technique enables us to significantly improve the optical power resolution (OPR) in fiber-optic measurement systems. This study investigates the guided-spontaneous-emission circuit (GSEC), a promising implementation of the OIONLC technique. Numerical simulation results analyzing the optical input-output relationship of the GSEC for a wide range of the input light wavelengths from the S-band to the C-band, which are 1450 to 1550 nm, are provided. It is theoretically clarified that the OPR can be significantly improved by factors up to 38 using an intermediate optical filter (IF); however, the factors are limited to within 23 in the case without the IF.