On the lossy character of Y-branches and their analogy to Wilkinson power dividers

Y-branches are commonly used devices for power splitting and combining in various technological applications. Despite their widespread use, research on their design and analysis has been mostly focused on their characterization based on reflection and transmission when operating as power dividers, leaving aside an exhaustive consideration of all their possible modes of operation. Also, it has not been fully recognized that these devices have intrinsic losses. If these losses are not properly managed, they can negatively impact the network, but also open the door to new opportunities. In this context, this paper examines Y-bifurcation properties and their connection to Wilkinson's power dividers. Additionally, through numerical analysis, we demonstrate the possibility of integrating these devices into more complex optical networks. We use them as components in generalized power dividers and analog optical computational systems designed to filter out the maximum common phase component and avoid backward reflections for any input signal.