Answer:
Depending on the component and its theoretical model, some of the devices may or may not have an associated delay. To measure the delay due to a component or components, take a look at the “CalculatingDelay.osd” file I have attached. Parts a), b), c) below are demonstrated in the project.
a) To graphically compare the delay, place a fork before the components of interest. Use a Dual Port Optical Time Domain Visualizer to plot two optical signals.
b) Sometimes the above is inconvenient as the signal may have been significantly amplified or attenuated. In that case, it is better to rescale the signals for a better comparison. Use the Optical Power Detector component, then rescale both signals (say from 0 to 1) with the rescale option in the component. Next, view the signals in the Dual Port Oscilloscope Visualizer (one must use the oscilloscope because in OptiSystem, the power detector output is classified as an electrical signal).
c) To see a numerical value associated with the delay, convert the optical signals again using the Optical Power Detector component, then use the Clock Recovery component. The delay time will be displayed in seconds (be sure to right click on the Clock Recovery component, select component results, check Disp boxes to show the signal delay).
Incidentally, if the objective is to add a delay to an optical signal, we have the components Phase Shift and Time Delay to do just that.