Enhancement of pump conversion efficiency in preamplified L-band erbium-doped fiber amplifiers

A new configuration of L-band erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) is presented here. The system contains a double-pass L-band EDFA and an optical preamplifier. Different from conventional preamplified double-pass L-band EDFA systems in which only the forward ASE of the preamplifier is re-used as an auxiliary pump, the new system recycles the backward ASE of the preamplifier as well. Two kinds of main L-band EDFAs are studied, both of which include a section of un-pumped erbium-doped fiber placed in a loop reflector. An improvement of up to 110% in pump conversion efficiency is demonstrated with the proposed recycling of the backward ASE, with respect to the system without recycling.     

Gain and Noise figure performance of erbium doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) and Compact EDFAs

In this paper, we compare the Gain and Noise figure characteristics of physical EDFAs and Compact EDFAs in an optical system consisting of cascade of both the amplifiers. We demonstrate the gain, noise figure variations of a forward pumped EDFA and Compact EDFAs as functions of Er³⁺ fiber length, injected pump power and up-conversion co-efficient. It is observed that the gain becomes constant when the length of both the amplifiers reaches above 20 m. The comparison shows that the higher gain with flatter output is obtained in case of Compact EDFAs than Physical EDFAs in a system consisting of chain of both the amplifiers. It is further investigated that the agreement between the Compact and Physical EDFA models is good up to 10 m with the no up-conversion co-efficient. Also, the noise figure obtained in case of Physical EDFA is higher than Compact EDFAs when same amplifier length is more than 20 m and then becomes constant for both the amplifiers.     

8字形腔波长可调谐锁模脉冲光纤激光器

采用非线性光纤环形镜加脉冲锁模技术及可调谐光纤光栅滤波器,对8字形腔被动锁模掺铒光纤激光器进行了波长可调谐输出的实验研究.在EDFA抽运光功率一定的情况下,通过调节偏振控制器和可调谐光纤光栅滤波器,获得了光谱稳定、重复频率1.1 MHz、输出功率起伏小于0.8 dBm、中心波长在1 548~1 570 nm内连续可调的短脉冲输出.该激光器可实现自启动锁模,且长时间稳定工作无需任何调整.     

Design and implementation of fuzzy logic based automatic gain controller for EDFAs

In this study, the design and implementation of a fuzzy logic (FL) based automatic gain controller card (AGC) is performed in order to control the pump laser current with respect to signal power and signal wavelength. The FL-AGC card consists of an amplifier, an analogue to digital converter (ADC), a digital to analogue converter (DAC), and a FL based software that is embedded to a microcontroller. With this configuration, gain flattening at the output of the erbium doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) along C band is achieved. In this way, ergonomically designed FL-AGC card can be easily matched with EDFAs and can be applicable to optical system applications.     

Fiber laser mode locked by a Sagnac interferometer with nonlinear polarization rotation

We describe a new fiber laser configuration based on a nonlinear optical loop mirror with a symmetrical coupler, a quarter-wave retarder, and highly twisted, birefringent fiber in the loop. The nonlinear optical loop mirror configuration operates by nonlinear polarization rotation. We have achieved stable generation of subpicosecond pulses with milliwatts of average output power.     

Gain equalization of EDFA using a loop filter with a single polarization controller

A Sagnac loop filter with two pieces of high birefringence fiber having equal lengths,and spliced together at a fixed angle of 30°displacement between the two principle axes,is proposed in this letter.Gain equalization of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers(EDFAs) is implemented by tuning only the polarization controller in the loop filter.Experimental result shows that there remains a deviation of±1 dB in the region of the flattened profile with the useful bandwidth of about 23 nm,thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of the method.An effective mathematical model and mechanism is also given for further explanation.     

All-fiber passive mode-locked laser to generate ps pulses based in a symmetrical NOLM

We experimentally investigate an all-fiber passively mode-locked laser generating ps pulses. The experimental setup is a figure eight fiber laser configuration, including a power-symmetric Nonlinear Optical Loop Mirror (NOLM) with highly twisted low-birefringence fiber in the loop. NOLM switching is achieved by polarization asymmetry between the counter-propagating beams in the loop. We used a Quarter-Wave Retarder in the loop to break the polarization symmetry. Using a polarizer beam-splitter cube as the NOLM output we got the best quality output pulses from the laser. At this output, we are monitoring the output pulse polarization component which is parallel to the input NOLM component. We achieved stable generation of ～25 ps pulses at the repetition frequency of 0.78 MHz with milliwatts average output power. The mode-locked laser ran in stable operation for hours.     

Effect of channel adding/dropping on EDFA transients

In this paper, we investigate the technique to control the transients by means of channel adding/dropping in cascades of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) in optical communication system. We demonstrate the transient reduction via simulation by employing the all-optical gain clamping (AOGC) in a chain of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers. We show that as EDFAs are gradually added in the optical link, the transients are also reduced significantly. It is observed that when we use cascade of six EDFAs and note the transient reduction, it is not as much as in case of chain of ten EDFAs in which the transients are greatly suppressed. Using the same model we further compare the transient response of Compact EDFAs and Transient EDFAs. It is observed that suppression of transients is much in Compact EDFAs than Transient EDFAs.     

Theoretical analysis of polarization control for the stable output of multi-carrier source based on a re-circulating frequency shifter

Fluctuating polarization state-of-light in the optical loop is an important factor that seriously influences the output performance of a multi-carrier source based on re-circulating frequency shifter (RFS). The reason for output spectrum instability when no polarization controller (PC) is present in the loop is analyzed theoretically. Numerical simulations for the output spectra of the multi-carrier source with and without PC are conducted, and the trajectories of the several frequency components polarization states on the Poincare sphere with and without PC are compared. The results show that the performance of multi-carrier source based on a RFS can be improved effectively by adjusting the PC in the configuration properly.     

Wideband All-Polarization-Maintaining Yb-Doped Mode-Locked Fiber Laser Using a Nonlinear Optical Loop Mirror

We report on a wide-band and stable mode-locked all-polarization-maintaining fiber iaser configuration using a noniinear optical loop mirror.The central wavelength of the laser is 1080.14 nm and the 3dB bandwidth is 20.29 nm.The repetition rate of the pulse is 3.28 MHz and the pulse width is 848 ps.By tuning the pump power,which is centered at 980 nm,from 300 mW to 380 mW,we obtain a linearly changed output power from 6mW to 7.12 mW.The all-polarization-maintaining fiber configuration is fundamental to the stability of the output power.     

Practical scheme for polarization-insensitive and frequency-conversion interval independent four-wave mixing in semiconductor optical amplifiers

A practical scheme for polarization-insensitive and frequency-conversion interval-independent four-wave mixing in an optical loop configuration is proposed that uses one conventional semiconductor optical amplifier device and two perpendicular polarized pump sources. The significant advantages of this technique are simplicity of configuration, efficient conjugate power generation, effective suppression of the signal and one pump wave at the output port, and reduction in noise.     

Gain characteristics of a 210 km hybrid Raman/erbium-doped fiber amplified loop

As an alternative to using gain flattening filters or other optical devices that add attenuation to balance the gain in the optical spectrum, we have studied the effects of combining gain from Raman amplifiers and erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) in a fiber recirculating loop. We have shown a parameter range for which the gain profile is flat, and have analyzed the variation of the gain tilt as a function of the individual contributions of the Raman and EDFA amplifiers.     

Suppression of Output Power and NF Excursions in Cascades of Highly Inverted EDFAs with Packet-Switched Traffic

Significant output power excursions in cascades of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) can cause serious problems in wavelength division multilexing (WDM) packet-switched burst-mode networks. Signal power excursions more serious than those induced by channel addition/removal in circuit switched networks can arise when data on the WDM channels is highly variable in nature. Self-similar traffic can be subject to large variation in EDFA gain. In order to prevent unacceptable error bursts, due, for example, to channel power becoming too low to preserve adequate eye opening or exceeding thresholds for optical nonlinearities, the channel power should be maintained constant. In this letter, it is shown that the sizable power and noise figure swings arising in a cascade of EDFAs with WDM burst-mode packet-switched networks with self-similar traffic can be effectively suppressed when highly inverted amplifiers are employed. The analysis is based on the application of a numerical model, which solves the transcendental equation for length averaged metastable level population of an EDFA.     

Modeling and optimizing of low-repetition-rate high-energy pulse amplification in high-concentration erbium-doped fiber amplifiers

Starting from the modeling of isolated ions and ion-pairs, a closed form rate and power evolution equations for pulse amplification in high-concentration erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) are constructed. According to the equations, the effects of ion-pairs on the performance of a high-concentration EDFA in steady state including upper-state population, ASE powers without input signal are analyzed numerically. Furthermore, the effects of ion-pairs on the dynamic characteristics of low-repetition-rate pulse amplification in the EDFA including the storied energy, output pulse energy and evolution of pulse waveform distortion are systematically studied by using the finite-difference method. The results show that the presence of the ion-pairs deteriorates amplifier performance, such as the upper-state population, ASE power, storied energy, output pulse energy, and saturated gain, etc. For the high-concentration EDFA, the optimum fiber length should be modified to achieve a better performance. The relations between the evolution of pulse waveform distortion or output pulse energy and the input pulse peak power are also discussed. The results can provide important guide for the design and optimization of the low-repetition-rate pulse amplification in high-concentration EDFAs.     

Demonstration of fundamental mode only propagation in highly multimode fibre for high power EDFAs

The use of short lengths of large core phosphate glass fibre, doped with high concentrations of Er or Er:Yb represents an attractive route to achieving high power erbium doped fibre amplifiers (EDFAs) and lasers (EDFLs). With the aim of investigating the potential of achieving diffraction limited output from such large core fibres, we present experimental results of fundamental mode propagation through a 20 cm length of passive 300 μm core multimode fibre when the input is a well-aligned Gaussian beam. Through careful control of fibre geometry, input beam parameters and alignment, we measured an output M² of 1.1 ± 0.05. The fibre had a numerical aperture of 0.389, implying a V number of 236.8. To our knowledge, this is the largest core fibre through which diffraction limited fundamental mode propagation has been demonstrated. Although the results presented here relate to undoped fibre, they do provide the practical basis for a new generation of EDFAs and EDFLs.     

Polarization-Insensitive All-Optical Time-Division Demultiplexer Constructed with a Nonlinear Loop Interferometer

A polarization-insensitive 40-Gb/s time-division demultiplexer was demonstrated in a polarization-diversity loop configuration. The power penalty was measured to be 2.3 dB at a bit error rates of 10-9 for 10 Gb/s output signals.     

Suppression of Output Power and NF Excursions in Cascades of Highly Inverted EDFAs with Packet-Switched Traffic

Significant output power excursions in cascades of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) can cause serious problems in wavelength division multilexing (WDM) packet-switched burst-mode networks. Signal power excursions more serious than those induced by channel addition/removal in circuit switched networks can arise when data on the WDM channels is highly variable in nature. Self-similar traffic can be subject to large variation in EDFA gain. In order to prevent unacceptable error bursts, due, for example, to channel power becoming too low to preserve adequate eye opening or exceeding thresholds for optical nonlinearities, the channel power should be maintained constant. In this letter, it is shown that the sizable power and noise figure swings arising in a cascade of EDFAs with WDM burst-mode packet-switched networks with self-similar traffic can be effectively suppressed when highly inverted amplifiers are employed. The analysis is based on the application of a numerical model, which solves the transcendental equation for length averaged metastable level population of an EDFA.     

Highly efficient and high output power of erbium doped fiber laser in a linear cavity configuration

A simple Erbium Doped Fiber Laser (EDFL) in linear cavity configuration is reported. The cavity design is based on an FBG as a back reflector, and a loop back optical circulator with an output coupler as the front reflector. Different coupling ratios of the coupler are tested and 50: 50 provides the highest coupling output power of 22.06 dBm (160.7 mW). The pump power conversion efficiency is about 95% when pumping with two pump lasers at 1460 and 1490 nm with combined pumping power of 545 mW. The laser output has a measured linewidth of 0.0179 nm.     

基于运算放大器的压控恒流源

针对直线感应加速器校正线圈的供电需求,用悬浮负载法和接地负载法研究了基于功率运算放大器的电压控制型恒流源。从理论计算、数值模拟和实验方面研究和对比了两种压控恒流源的工作原理、工作特性和输出结果。试验结果表明,在两种恒流源上都能够得到预定的电流输出,悬浮负载恒流源的输出更加稳定,能够满足将来的工程运用要求。     

掺铒光纤放大器的理论模拟与全局分析

基于Giles模型并考虑了ASE噪音,对各种泵浦方式下的掺铒光纤放大器(EDFA)进行了数值模拟.提出了一种新的分析方法(增益噪音指数全局分析法),直观有效地分析了EDFA的增益和噪音指数与掺铒光纤长度和泵浦功率的依赖关系,并对各种EDFA的性能作了全面的比较.