Cross-gain modulation in Raman fiber amplifier: experimentation and modeling

The effects of channel loss on the performance of Raman fiber amplifiers (RFA) are investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Signals from one distributed-feedback (DFB) laser and an external cavity laser (ECL) were transmitted through counterdirectionally pumped RFAs consisting of 15.6 km of dispersion compensating fiber (DCF). The ECL light was square-wave modulated at 500 Hz. At the output of the RFA, the signal of the modulated channel was eliminated with an optical band pass filter, and power fluctuations of the surviving channel were recorded with a high-speed digital oscilloscope. Power fluctuations as high as 0.45 dB with typical saturated amplifier overshoots were observed. The experimental results were confirmed by a large signal numerical analysis.