AUTOMATIC MEASUREMENT AND GAIN CONTROL OF DISTRIBUTED RAMAN AMPLIFIERS
First Claim
1. An apparatus for automatic gain measurement and control of a distributed Raman amplifier (DRA), the DRA providing Raman pump power at one or more pump wavelengths and being optically coupled to a transmission fiber which carries communication signals having wavelengths in a signal communication band, the apparatus comprising:
- a. a detection unit operative to measure, during operation of the DRA, the optical power of a filtered component of the light entering the DRA from the transmission fiber; and
,b. a gain calculation and control (GCC) unit electrically coupled to the detection unit and operative to calculate a signal Raman gain property based on the measured optical power.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and method for gain measurement and control of a Distributed Raman Amplifier (DRA). Various embodiments of the apparatus include a detection unit operative to measure, during operation of the DRA, the optical power of a filtered component of the light entering the DRA from the transmission fiber and a gain calculation and control unit coupled to the detection unit and operative to calculate a signal Raman gain property from the measured optical power. The filtered component may exemplarily be a result of passing the light through a band pass filter, a spectral filter with a given spectral shape or a notch filter. The signal Raman gain property may be an average on-off signal Raman gain, an average net signal Raman gain or a signal Raman gain tilt within a communication band. The apparatus and method may be used to operate the DRA in Automatic Gain Control, i.e. to maintain a required constant signal Raman gain and/or signal Raman gain tilt.
55 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An apparatus for automatic gain measurement and control of a distributed Raman amplifier (DRA), the DRA providing Raman pump power at one or more pump wavelengths and being optically coupled to a transmission fiber which carries communication signals having wavelengths in a signal communication band, the apparatus comprising:
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a. a detection unit operative to measure, during operation of the DRA, the optical power of a filtered component of the light entering the DRA from the transmission fiber; and
,b. a gain calculation and control (GCC) unit electrically coupled to the detection unit and operative to calculate a signal Raman gain property based on the measured optical power. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for automatic gain measurement and control of a distributed Raman amplifier (DRA), the DRA providing Raman pump power at one or more pump wavelengths and being optically coupled to a transmission fiber which carries communication signals having wavelengths in a signal communication band, the method comprising:
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a. measuring, during operation of the DRA, the optical power of a filtered component of the light entering the DRA from the transmission fiber; and b. calculating a signal Raman gain property based on the measured optical power. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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13. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
c. using the signal Raman gain property to control the pump power.
Specification