Method and apparatus for providing transformation of the polarization of light

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In one aspect, the invention provides an optical apparatus for transforming the polarization of light from an input polarization to a selected output polarization.
The optical apparatus includes a pair of electrooptic optical waveguides, each electrooptical waveguide of the pair having an input and an output, and the pair having at least one coupled section.
A plurality of electrodes are provided for exposing the optical waveguides of said pair to selected electric fields.
The apparatus also includes one or both of an input beam splitter and a beam combiner.
The input beam splitter includes an input and two outputs.
The input receives light having the input polarization and splits the light into two outputs.
Each of the outputs is in optical communication with a different input of the optical waveguides of the pair and this optical communication is achieved so as to provide substantially copolarized light to the electrooptic optical waveguides of the pair.
The optical combiner includes first and second combiner inputs and a combiner output.
Each of the inputs is in optical communication with a different output of the optical waveguides of said the of optical waveguides, and this optical communication is achieved such that the inputs receive light from the pair of optical waveguides as substantially orthogonally polarized.
In operation, selective application of voltages to the electrodes produces the electric fields such that the light having the input polarization and entering either one of the inputs of the electrooptical optical waveguide pair or, if the beam splitter is present, the input of the beam splitter, is transformed to light having the selected polarization and emanating from one the outputs of one of the electrooptic optical waveguides, or when present, the output of the beam combiner.
The optical apparatus can include a time delay element for providing a selected time delay between the light signal emanating from the two optical waveguides.
The time delay element interposed between one of the waveguides and one of the inputs to the combiner