FAME: Fibre amplifier measurement methods

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 96.0333

Key words (English)

Optical fibres; optical amplifiers; erbium doped fibre amplifiers; polarisation mode dispersion

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: SMT4-CT96-2122

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 4. Frame Research Programme - 2.2 Measurements and testing

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

National Physical Laboratory; Lucent Technology, Centre Studi e Laboratori Telecomunicazioni S.p.A, Centre National d'Etudes des Télécommunications, Alcatel SEL AG; Wandel & Goltermann GmbH

Abstract (English)

Optical fibre amplifiers play an important role in telecommunication systems. Their application in digital trunk systems is now well established and applications in lightwave CATV systems and multi-wavelength systems are developing rapidly. Definitions, measurement procedures and consequent standardisation are mandatory.
The FAME partners have collaborated within the project framework to undertake the necessary research to define parameters needed to characterise optical fibre amplifiers, particularly non-linear properties, to define the associated test methods, and to verify these methods through a measurement intercomparison.
The main contribution of GAP-Optique to the FAME project has been the investigation of polarisation mode dispersion (PMD) of Erbium doped fibre amplifiers (EDFA's). PMD measurement could present some difficulties arising from the fact that the usual way to measure PMD in fibre consists of averaging the Differential Group Delay over some wavelength range, and is based on the assumption that PMD in a fibre is statistical in character. The limited spectral interval available in optical amplifiers might affect the reliability of measurements of stochastic differential group delays. However the results of FAME provides strong evidence that a proper definition of PMD in optical amplifiers, at least for EDFAs, should be given a more deterministic aspect with respect to the fundamentally statistical nature of this parameter takes on in transmission fibres. In this respect, FAME proposes to characterise amplifier PMD in terms of the maximum value of the DGD over the desired wavelength region. Since this approach is very similar to the one that could be adopted for arbitrary components affected by deterministic birefringence, strict co-ordination with the activities undergoing in the relevant IEC committees in this field is to be sought.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 96.0333