An optical interleaver is described, comprising a splitting element for splitting
an incident beam into a first optical signal directed along a first path and a
second optical signal directed along a second path, a first resonant element positioned
along the first path, a second resonant element positioned along the second path,
and a combining element positioned to receive and to interferometrically combine
the outputs of the first and second resonant to produce the output signal. The
optical interleaver may be implemented using a free-space configuration using a
beamsplitter and a plurality of resonant cavities such as asymmetric Fabry-Perot
resonators or Michelson-Gires-Tournois resonators. In an alternative preferred
embodiment, the optical interleaver may be implemented in a Mach-Zender-style configuration
using couplers and fiber ring resonators.
