A simple and novel method for measuring the chirp parameter of an intensity modulated light source

A new and simple method of measuring the chirp parameter /spl alpha/ of a modulated light source is presented. The technique involves modulating the optical source in a particular manner, and then directly examining the resulting optical spectrum. This experimental measurement technique allows us to directly measure the phase of the optical signal in the frequency domain. In addition, the method is very easy and accurate. Experimental results demonstrate the use of this measurement technique for measuring the chirp parameter of a source modulated at 10 GHz.