OPTICAL LITTER, OPTICAL LOGIC CIRCUIT, COMPARATOR, DIGITAL CONVERTER, OPTICAL TRANSMISSION DEVICE, AND OPTICAL PROCESSING METHOD

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a limiter function even when the intensity of an optical signal is low.SOLUTION: A nonlinear medium 111 has its refractive index changed in accordance with the intensity of incident light, and emits the incident light in a different direction depending on the refractive index. An optical limiter 100 causes reference successive pulses 151 of prescribed intensity and an intensity-modulated optical signal 152 to enter the nonlinear medium 111. The optical limiter 100 causes strong light 153 to enter a portion of the nonlinear medium 111 through which the reference successive pulses 151 and the optical signal 152 pass. A half mirror unit 120, provided at a position where the reference successive pulses 151 emitted from the nonlinear medium 111 enter at the time the optical signal 152 extinguishes, causes an optical signal obtained by reversing the intensity of the incident light to be emitted.