The theory, developed by Los Alamos scientists Michael Chertkov, Yeo-Jin Chung, Ildar Gabitov and Avner Peleg, proposes that an understanding of the physics of signal propagation is important for evaluating and optimizing the performance of optical lines since the natural nonlinearity and disorder of optical fibers results in the corruption of signals traveling through the fiber which, in turn, can lead to information loss. The theory enables scientists to do a comparative analysis of different techniques for the suppression of these information outages.
In addition to the theoretical advance, the team developed, and subsequently patented, a new technique called the pinning method that is capable of reducing the negative impact of optical fiber structural disorder and improving high-speed optical fiber system performance.
Besides the Los Alamos scientists, other collaborators include Igor Kolokolov and Vladimir Lebedev from Russia's Landau Institute and Joshua Soneson from the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Funding for the soliton collision research was provided by the Los Alamos Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Washington Group International for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.