Design of an all-optical wavelength router based on spatial solitons

This paper presents the theory and modeling of an all-optical device which realizes self-routing of waves at different wavelengths. The device exploit s spatial soliton interaction in a Kerr-like nonlinear medium and can be us ed in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networks with fixed tuned rece ivers and tunable transmitters. Interaction is governed by four-wave mixing (FWM) that produces the desired effects under suitable excitation conditio ns. Several numerical examples are given, which highlight the importance of an optimum choice for the spectrum of wavelengths.