Raman amplifier systems and methods with an integrated Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) for integrated testing functionality include an amplifier system, an OTDR and telemetry subsystem, and a method of operation. The OTDR and telemetry subsystem is configured to operate in an OTDR mode when coupled to a line in port and to operate in a telemetry mode when coupled to a line out port. The OTDR and telemetry subsystem enables on-demand fiber testing while also operating as a telemetry channel that is both a redundant optical service channel (OSC) and provides a mechanism to monitor Raman gain over time. The OTDR and telemetry subsystem minimizes cost and space by sharing major optical and electrical components between the integrated OTDR and other functions on the Raman amplifier.

An optical transmit system, including a direct modulator configured to generate an optical signal, an optical amplifier coupled to the direct modulator configured to amplify the optical signal output by the direct modulator, and a stimulated Brillouin scattering component coupled to the optical amplifier configured to limit optical power of the optical signal output by the optical amplifier, where a stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold of the stimulated Brillouin scattering component is equal to minimum optical power of a part, which needs to be limited, of the optical signal output by the optical amplifier, and the stimulated Brillouin scattering component reflects, using a stimulated Brillouin scattering frequency difference, a part, which has optical power higher than the minimum optical power, of the optical signal output by the optical amplifier in order to limit outputting of this part of the optical signal.

An optical transmit system, including a direct modulator configured to generate an optical signal, an optical amplifier coupled to the direct modulator configured to amplify the optical signal output by the direct modulator, and a stimulated Brillouin scattering component coupled to the optical amplifier configured to limit optical power of the optical signal output by the optical amplifier, where a stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold of the stimulated Brillouin scattering component is equal to minimum optical power of a part, which needs to be limited, of the optical signal output by the optical amplifier, and the stimulated Brillouin scattering component reflects, using a stimulated Brillouin scattering frequency difference, a part, which has optical power higher than the minimum optical power, of the optical signal output by the optical amplifier in order to limit outputting of this part of the optical signal.

The disclosed systems and methods for characterizing an optical fiber in a dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) optical link. The characterizing comprising: i) applying a power dither to data bearing optical signals propagating in the optical fiber, the power dither having a high-power level and a low-power level; ii) computing optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) traces corresponding to the high-power level and the low-power level of the power dither; iii) averaging the OTDR traces corresponding to the high-power level and the OTDR traces corresponding to the low-power level into average OTDR traces; computing a differential Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) gain from the OTDR traces; and iv) adjusting the average OTDR traces based on the differential SRS gain.

A controller for a front-exciting Raman-amplifier that amplifies an optical signal transmitted from one end of an optical fiber to other end by inputting an excitation light to the one end, the controller includes a memory, and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to acquire communication-related information regarding communication of the optical signal in the optical fiber, when the acquired communication-related information does not indicate the communication of the optical signal, set a Raman gain of the front-exciting Raman amplifier based on a first light intensity of an amplified spontaneous scattered light of the excitation light, and when the acquired communication-related information indicates the communication of the optical signal, set the Raman gain based on a second light intensity of the optical signal output from the optical fiber.

A controller for a front-exciting Raman-amplifier that amplifies an optical signal transmitted from one end of an optical fiber to other end by inputting an excitation light to the one end, the controller includes a memory, and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to acquire communication-related information regarding communication of the optical signal in the optical fiber, when the acquired communication-related information does not indicate the communication of the optical signal, set a Raman gain of the front-exciting Raman amplifier based on a first light intensity of an amplified spontaneous scattered light of the excitation light, and when the acquired communication-related information indicates the communication of the optical signal, set the Raman gain based on a second light intensity of the optical signal output from the optical fiber.

A technique is provided for producing a quality of transmission estimator for optical transmissions. The technique includes defining a local dispersion value, defining a dispersion increment, and performing a propagation calculation of an optical signal along an elementary section. The elementary section is a propagation medium characterized by the local dispersion value. The elementary section length may correspond to the dispersion increment. The optical signal, which is incoming in the elementary section, is previously affected by a cumulative dispersion value equal to an integer number of the dispersion increment. For each elementary section, a variance of noise is determined, the noise representing a distortion due to Kerr nonlinear field contributions in the elementary section. For each couple of elementary sections, a covariance of noise is determined between the couple of elementary sections. The variances and covariances may be stored in a look-up table of a data repository.

An optical transmission system includes an optical transmitter, an optical receiver, and a control apparatus. The control apparatus repeatedly performs an adjustment process for adjusting power of an optical signal of a frequency band to be adjusted while switching the frequency band to be adjusted between at least two frequency bands including at least a frequency band where stimulated Raman scattering occurs among frequency bands that are multiplexed in a multiplexed optical signal transmitted by the optical transmission system. In the adjustment process, when power of an optical signal of the frequency band to be adjusted transmitted from the optical transmitter has been changed, the control apparatus determines the power of the optical signal of the frequency band to be adjusted on the basis of a signal quality measured by the optical receiver that has received the optical signal.

An optical transmission system includes an optical transmitter, an optical receiver, and a control apparatus. The control apparatus repeatedly performs an adjustment process for adjusting power of an optical signal of a frequency band to be adjusted while switching the frequency band to be adjusted between at least two frequency bands including at least a frequency band where stimulated Raman scattering occurs among frequency bands that are multiplexed in a multiplexed optical signal transmitted by the optical transmission system. In the adjustment process, when power of an optical signal of the frequency band to be adjusted transmitted from the optical transmitter has been changed, the control apparatus determines the power of the optical signal of the frequency band to be adjusted on the basis of a signal quality measured by the optical receiver that has received the optical signal.

Aspects of the present disclosure describe methods for reducing guided acoustic wave Brillouin (GAWBS) noise in an optical fiber that may be included in an optical communications system by reducing the polarization diffusion length of the fiber by increasing the birefringence of the optical fiber, the increased birefringence of the optical fiber being increased with respect to its average magnitude. Additionally, the polarization diffusion length is reduced by reducing the coherence length of birefringence of the optical fiber.