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A system for converting a single input beam of light into a plurality of spatially or angularly shifted output beams, each having a different wavelength supplies the single input beam of light to the first of a plurality of cascaded acousto-optical and/or stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) wavele

A system for converting a single input beam of light into a plurality of spatially or angularly shifted output beams, each having a different wavelength supplies the single input beam of light to the first of a plurality of cascaded acousto-optical and/or stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) wavelength-shifting devices in optical communication with each other. This causes the first wavelength-shifting device to produce a first output beam having a wavelength shifted from that of the input beam. The output beam from each of the cascaded wavelength-shifting devices is supplied to the next such device to cause each successive wavelength-shifting device to produce an output beam having a wavelength shifted from the wavelength of the input beam to that device. Thus, variations in the wavelength of the input beam or in temperature or strain of the wavelength-shifting devices will cause the wavelengths of the output beams to uniformly vary, thus maintaining constant intra-wavelength spacings among the output beams.

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1. An optical system for converting a single input beam of light into a plurality of spatially or angularly shifted output beams, each having a different wavelength, said system comprising:an array of a plurality of acousto-optical and/or stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) wavelength-shifting dev

1. An optical system for converting a single input beam of light into a plurality of spatially or angularly shifted output beams, each having a different wavelength, said system comprising:an array of a plurality of acousto-optical and/or stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) wavelength-shifting devices in optical communication with each other, said devices being adapted to maintain substantially constant intra-wavelength spacings among said output beams by causing the wavelengths of said output beams to vary substantially uniformly with variations in the wavelength of said input beam and temperature. 2. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a optical beam splitter or circulator located along the input and output paths of the beams to and from said wavelength-shifting devices, for reflecting said output beams in directions different than the directions of said output paths.3. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a optical amplifier located along the path of said input beam.4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a part of an output beam from one of said wavelength-shifting devices is utilized as an input beam another of said devices, forming a cascaded optical system.5. The optical system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the output of the last of said devices is connected, via a filter, to the input of the first of said devices, and wherein a demultiplexer is connected to the output of at least one of said devices for producing multiple, separated wavelengths.6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wavelength-shifting device is composed of a waveguide providing a continuously patterned optical path.7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said wavelength-shifting device is composed of a wound optical fiber.8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said fibers ave a small core area and are selected from the group comprising photonic bandgap fibers, dispersion compensating fibers, or high numerical aperture fibers.9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wavelength-shifting devices are composed of different materials, one of said materials having an increasing refractive index with temperature change, and one having a decreasing refractive index with temperature change.10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein an output beam for a first one of said wavelength-shifting devices constitutes a source for a second one of said devices.11. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) located along the input and/or output paths of at least one of said wavelength-shifting devices.12. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one modulator for modulating at least one of said output beams.13. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said input beam is obtained from a tunable laser.14. The system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising at least one tunable laser for backup purposes.15. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said input beam is obtained from a fixed-wavelength laser.16. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said input beam is obtained from one of a plurality of laser sources in parallel with each other so that, upon e malfunctioning of one of said sources, at least one of the other sources is utilized.17. The optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said input beam comprises a multi-wavelength cascade created by the difference between two or more cascades of different spacings.18. An optical system as claimed in claim 1 which include a feedback line for supplying the output beam of the last of said wavelength-shifting devices to he input of the first of said wavelength-shifting devices concurrently with the supplying of said input beam to said first wavelength-shifting device.19. An optical system as claimed in claim 1, having at least one additional light source in connection with one or more acousto-optical and/or stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) wavelength-shifting devices.20. An optical system for converting an input beam of light into a plurality of output beams having different wavelengths, said system comprising:an array of a plurality of acousto-optical and/or stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) wavelength-shifting devices in optical communication with each other, the first wavelength-shifting device in said array receiving said input beam of light, thereby causing said first wavelength-shifting device to produce a first output beam having a wavelength shifted from that of said input beam, and each of the remaining wavelength-shifting devices in said array receiving the output beam from the preceding wavelength-shifting device to cause each successive wavelength-shifting device to produce an output beam having a wavelength shifted from the wavelength of the input beam to that device, whereby variations in the wavelength of said input beam or in temperature or strain of said wavelength-shifting devices will cause the wavelengths of said output beams to vary substantially uniformly, thus maintaining substantially constant intra-wavelength spacings between said output beams. 21. The system of claim 20 which includes an array of splitters each of which is connected to both the input and the output of one of said wavelength-shifting devices, and to the input of the next of said wavelength-shifting devices, for supplying the first wavelength-shifting device with said input beam, and for supplying each of the other wavelength-shifting devices with the output of the preceding wavelength-shifting device.22. The system of claim 20 which includes a feedback line for supplying the output beam of the last of said wavelength-shifting devices to the input of first of said wavelength-shifting devices concurrently with the supplying of said input beam to said first wavelength-shifting device.23. The system of claim 22 which includes a filter in said feedback line for limiting the wavelength of the output beam of said last wavelength-shifting device that can be fed back to said first wavelength-shifting device, thereby causing the feedback be resumed with the output beam produced by said last wavelength-shifting device in response to the supply of said input beam to said first wavelength-shifting device.24. The system of claim 20 which includes a source of seeding light beams for said wavelength-shifting devices.25. The system of claim 20 wherein each of said wavelength-shifting devices comprises first and second wavelength-shifting components connected series and having refractive indices that vary in opposite directions in response to temperature changes, whereby wavelength shifts caused by a temperature change in said first and second components substantially cancel each other.26. The system of claim 20 which includes a separate output line for the output beam produced by each of said wavelength-shifting devices.27. An optical system for converting an input beam of light into a plurality of output beams having different wavelengths, said system comprising:an array of a plurality of wavelength-shifting devices in optical communication with each other, the first wavelength-shifting device in said array receiving said input beam of light, thereby causing said first wavelength-shifting device to produce a first output beam having a wavelength shifted from that of said input beam, and said first wavelength-shifting device comprising first and second wavelength-shifting components connected in series and having refractive indices that vary in opposite directions in response to temperature changes, whereby wavelength shifts caused by a temperature change in said first and second components substantially cancel each other. 28. An optical system for converting an input beam of light into a plurality of output beams having different wavelengths, said system comprising:an array of a plurality of wavelength-shifting devices in optical communication with each other, the first wavelength-shifting device in said array receiving said input beam of light, thereby causing said first wavelength-shifting device to produce a first output beam having a wavelength shifted from that of said input beam, each of the remaining wavelength-shifting devices in said array receiving the output beam from the preceding wavelength-shifting device to cause each successive wavelength-shifting device to produce an output beam having a wavelength shifted from the wavelength of the input beam to that device, and a feedback line for supplying the output beam of the last of said wavelength-shifting devices to the input of the first of said wavelength-shifting devices concurrently with the supplying of said input beam to said first wavelength-shifting device. 29. The system of claim 28 which includes a filter in said feedback line for the wavelength of the output beam of said last wavelength-shifting device that can be fed back to said first wavelength-shifting device, thereby causing the feedback be resumed with the output beam produced by said last wavelength-shifting device in response to the supply of said input beam to said first wavelength-shifting device.30. A method of converting an input beam of light into a plurality of spatially or angularly shifted output beams, each having a different wavelength, said method comprisingsupplying said input beam of light to the first of a plurality of acousto-optical and/or stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) wavelength-shifting devices in optical communication with each other, thereby causing said first wavelength-shifting device to produce a first output beam having a wavelength shifted from that of said input beam, and supplying the output beam from each of said plurality of wavelength-shifting devices to the next of said plurality of wavelength-shifting devices to cause each successive wavelength-shifting device to produce an output beam having a wavelength shifted from the wavelength of the input beam to that device, and maintaining substantially constant intra-wavelength spacings beam among said output beams by causing the wavelengths of said output beams to vary substantially uniformly with variations in the wavelength of said input beam and temperature. 31. The method of claim 30 which includes feeding the output beam of the last of said wavelength-shifting devices back to the input of the first of said wavelength-shifting devices concurrently with the supplying of said input beam to said first wavelength-shifting device.32. The method of claim 31 which includes limiting the wavelength of the output team of said last wavelength-shifting device that can be fed back to said first wavelength-shifting device, thereby causing the feedback to be resumed with the output beam produced by said last wavelength-shifting device in response to the supply of said input beam to said first wavelength-shifting device.33. The method of claim 30 which includes seeding said wavelength-shifting devices with light beams having predetermined characteristics.34. The method of claim 30 wherein each of said wavelength-shifting devices comprises first and second wavelength-shifting components having refractive indices that vary in opposite directions in response to temperature changes, and supplying the output beam from said first component as the input to said second component so that the output beam from said wavelength-shifting device is the output beam from said second component, whereby wavelength shifts caused by a temperature change in said first and second components substantially cancel each other.35. The method of claim 30 which includes supplying the output beam produced by each of said wavelength-shifting devices on a separate output line.36. A method of converting an input beam of light into a plurality of output beams having different wavelengths, said method comprising:supplying said input beam of light to the first of a plurality of wavelength-shifting devices in optical communication with each other, the first wavelength-shifting device in said array receiving said input beam of light, thereby causing said first wavelength-shifting device to produce a first output beam having a wavelength shifted from that of said input beam, said wavelength-shifting device including first and second wavelength-shifting components having refractive indices that vary in opposite directions in response to temperature changes, and supplying the output beam from said first component as the input to said second component so that the output beam from said wavelength-shifting device is the output beam from said second component, whereby wavelength shifts caused by a temperature change in said first and second components substantially cancel each other. 37. A method of converting an input beam of light into a plurality of output beams having different wavelengths, said method comprising supplying said input beam of light to the first of a plurality of wavelength-shifting devices in optical communication with each other, thereby causing said first wavelength-shifting device to produce a first output beam having a wavelength shifted from that of said input beam,seeding said wavelength-shifting device with a light beam having predetermined characteristics, and supplying the output beam from each of said plurality of wavelength-shifting devices to the next of said plurality of wavelength-shifting devices to cause each successive wavelength-shifting device to produce an output beam having a wavelength shifted from the wavelength of the input beam to that device, whereby variations in the wavelength of said input beam or in temperature or strain of said devices will cause the wavelengths of said output beams to uniformly vary, thus maintaining constant intra-wavelength spacings beam among said output beams. 38. A method of converting an input beam of light into a plurality of output beams having different wavelengths, said method comprising:supplying said input beam of light to the first of a plurality of wavelength-shifting devices in optical communication with each other, thereby causing said first wavelength-shifting device to produce a first output beam having a wavelength shifted from that of said input beam, supplying the output beam from each of said plurality of wavelength-shifting devices to the next of said plurality of wavelength-shifting devices to cause each successive wavelength-shifting device to produce an output beam having a wavelength shifted from the wavelength of the input beam to that device, and supplying the output beam of the last of said wavelength-shifting device to the input of the first of said wavelength-shifting devices concurrently with the supplying of said input beam to said first wavelength-shifting device, whereby variations in the wavelength of said input beam or in temperature or strain of said devices will cause the wavelengths of said output beams to uniformly vary, thus maintaining constant intra-wavelength spacings beam among said output beams. 39. The method of claim which includes limiting the wavelength of the output beam of said last wavelength-shifting device that can be fed back to said first wavelength-shifting device, thereby causing the feedback to be resumed with the output beam produced by said last wavelength-shifting device in response to the supply of said input be to said first wavelength-shifting device.40. An optical system for converting an input beam of light into a plurality of output beams having different wavelengths, said system comprising:a single laser source producing an input beam of light, an array of a plurality of wavelength-shifting devices in optical communication with each other, the first wavelength-shifting device in said array receiving said input beam of light produced by said single laser source, thereby causing said first wavelength-shifting device to produce a first output beam having a wavelength shifted from that of said input beam, and each of the remaining wavelength-shifting devices in said array receiving the output beam from the preceding wavelength-shifting device to cause each successive wavelength-shifting device to produce an output beam having a wavelength shifted from the wavelength of the input beam to that device, whereby variations in the wavelength of said input beam from said single laser source or in temperature or strain of said wavelength-shifting devices will cause the wavelengths of said output beams to vary substantially uniformly, thus maintaining substantially constant intra-wavelength spacings between said output beams. 41. The optical system of claim 40 which includes optical amplifiers for amplifying the input beams to at least some of said wavelength-shifting devices.42. An optical system for converting a single input beam of light into a plurality of spatially or angularly shifted output beams, each having a different wavelength, said system comprising:an array of a plurality of acousto-optical and/or stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) wavelength-shifting devices in optical communication with each other, said devices being adapted to maintain substantially constant intra-wavelength spacings among said output beams by causing the wavelengths of said output beams to vary substantially uniformly with variations in the wavelength of said input beam and strain of said devices. 43. A method of converting an input beam of light into a plurality of spatially or angularly shifted output beams, each having a different wavelength, said method comprisingsupplying said input beam of light to the first of a plurality of acousto-optical and/or stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) wavelength-shifting devices in optical communication with each other, thereby causing said first wavelength-shifting device to produce a first output beam having a wavelength shifted from that of said input beam, and supplying the output beam from each of said plurality of wavelength-shifting devices to the next of said plurality of wavelength-shifting devices to cause each successive wavelength-shifting device to produce an output beam having a wavelength shifted from the wavelength of the input beam to that device, and maintaining substantially constant intra-wavelength spacings among said output beams by causing the wavelengths of said output beams to vary substantially uniformly with variations in the wavelength of said input beam and strain of said devices. 44. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wavelength-shifting devices comprise an optical fiber wound on a spool or structure having an expansion coefficient selected to produce a change in the refractive index of said fiber in response to temperature change that substantially cancels the change caused by said temperature change in said refractive index of said fiber, so as to maintain substantially constant intra-wavelength spacings between said output beams.45. The system as claimed in claim 42, wherein said wavelength-shifting devices comprise an optical fiber wound on a spool or structure having an expansion coefficient selected to produce a change in the refractive index of said fiber in response to temperature change that substantially cancels the change caused by said temperature change in said refractive index of said fiber, so as to maintain substantially constant intra-wavelength spacings between said output beams.46. The method of claim 30, wherein said wavelength-shifting devices comprise an optical fiber wound on a spool or structure having an expansion coefficient selected to produce a change in the refractive index of said fiber in response to a temperature change that substantially cancels the change caused by said temperature change in said refractive index of said fiber, so as to maintain substantially constant intra-wavelength spacings between said output beams.47. The method of claim 43, wherein said wavelength-shifting devices comprise an optical fiber wound on a spool or structure having an expansion coefficient selected to produce a change in the refractive index of said fiber in response to a temperature change that substantially cancels the change caused by said temperature change in said refractive index of said fiber, so as to maintain substantially constant intra-wavelength spacings between said output beams.