All-Optical Processing by Means of Cross-Phase-Modulation-Based PM-NOLM Interconnected Structures

Nonlinear optical loop mirrors (NOLMs) are attractive devices that can be exploited in all-optical signal processing (OSP) techniques because of the ultrashort time response of the Kerr effect in the optical fiber. Although several works have been done to study and experimentally demonstrate the behavior of both single and cascaded NOLM structures, the analytical description of a model suitable for the study of multiple and interleaved NOLM configurations is still missing in literature. In this paper, a model based on basic blocks interconnection is proposed and applied to a particular configuration named Mickey NOLM. The model is based on elementary blocks where the cross-phase modulation effect induced in a polarization maintaining loop by a pump signal is exploited to unbalance the overall NOLM characteristics. Several results are shown and their possible applications to all-OSP are proposed.