Modulation of absorption and refractive index in Er3 -doped fibers

Modulation of the absorption and refractive index in Er³⁺-doped fibers for a signal wavelength in the 1550-nm band and a pump wavelength of 980 nm is investigated. The experimental results are compared with a model that takes into account optical transitions between the ground state and the metastable state in Er³⁺. Good agreement between the experiment and the model is obtained apart from a wavelength-independent constant in the refractive index modulation, which is discussed.