Multi-band programmable gain Raman amplifier

Optical communication systems, operating in C-band, are reaching their theoretically achievable capacity limits. An attractive and economically viable solution to satisfy the future data rate demands is to employ the transmission across the full low-loss spectrum encompassing O, E, S, C and L band of the single mode fibers (SMF).

Utilizing all five bands offers a bandwidth of up to ~53.5 THz (365 nm) with loss below 0.4 dB/km. A key component in realizing multi-band optical communication systems is the optical amplifier. Apart from having an ultra-wide gain profile, the ability of providing arbitrary gain profiles, in a controlled way, will become an essential feature.

The latter will allow for signal power spectrum shaping which has a broad range of applications such as the maximization of the achievable information rate × distance product, the elimination of static and lossy gain flattening filters (GFF) enabling a power efficient system design, and the gain equalization of optical frequency combs.

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate a multi-band (S+C+L) programmable gain optical amplifier using only Raman effects and machine learning. The amplifier achieves >1000 programmable gain profiles within the range from 3.5 to 30 dB, in an ultra-fast way and a very low maximum error of ${1.6\cdot10^{-2}}$ dB/THz over an ultra-wide bandwidth of 17.6-THz (140.7-nm)