The present disclosure generally relates optical amplifier modules. In one form for example, an optical amplifier module includes a booster optical amplifier configured to increase optical power of a first optical signal. The module also includes a preamp optical amplifier configured to increase optical power of a second optical signal and a pump laser optically coupled to the booster optical amplifier and the preamp optical amplifier. The pump laser is configured to provide a booster power to the booster optical amplifier and a preamp power to the preamp optical amplifier, the preamp power is effective to induce a gain in optical power to provide a target optical power of the second optical signal from the preamp optical amplifier, and the booster power is dependent on the preamp power.

A photonic lantern couples light from several fibers or fiber cores into one or more fibers or fiber cores. Photonic lanterns are often used to combine several lower-power beams into a single higher-power beam. They can also be used to couple light from multi-core fibers into single-mode, multi-mode, or other multi-core fibers. By modulating the phases of the input beams, the light can be switched from output to output—for example, between output cores of a multi-core output fiber. If desired, the beams can also be amplified using an active fiber in or coupled to the photonic lantern. A first photonic lantern couples signal light and pump light into the core and cladding, respectively, of an active multi-mode or multi-core fiber. And the active multi-mode or multi-core fiber couples amplified signal light into output fiber(s) via a second photonic lantern.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide example multi-core fiber interleavers, example optical fiber amplifiers, example transmission systems, and example transmission methods. One example multi-core fiber interleaver includes a first port, a second port, a third port, and a fourth port, respectively adapted to be coupled to a first multi-core fiber, a second multi-core fiber, a third multi-core fiber, and a fourth multi-core fiber. A first subset of a plurality of first cores is coupled to a first subset of a plurality of second cores. A first subset of a plurality of third cores is coupled to a first subset of a plurality of fourth cores. A second subset of the plurality of fourth cores is coupled to a second subset of the plurality of second cores. A second subset of the third cores is coupled to a second subset of the first cores.

The present invention addresses the problem that, when an optical amplification device having a plurality of optical transmission paths, such as multi-core optical fibers, is used for bidirectional communication, it is difficult to construct an optical transmission system optimized for all of signal lights having different transmission directions. The optical amplification device of the present invention comprises: an optical guide means having a plurality of optical transmission paths including an optical amplification medium having a gain in the wavelength band of a signal light; an excitation light introducing means for introducing excitation light for exciting the optical amplification medium into the optical guide means from both ends of the optical guide means; and a residual excitation light introducing means for introducing residual excitation light output from both ends of the optical guide means and having a wavelength component of the excitation light into the optical guide means.

The present disclosure generally relates optical amplifier modules. In one form for example, an optical amplifier module includes a booster optical amplifier configured to increase optical power of a first optical signal. The module also includes a preamp optical amplifier configured to increase optical power of a second optical signal and a pump laser optically coupled to the booster optical amplifier and the preamp optical amplifier. The pump laser is configured to provide a booster power to the booster optical amplifier and a preamp power to the preamp optical amplifier, the preamp power is effective to induce a gain in optical power to provide a target optical power of the second optical signal from the preamp optical amplifier, and the booster power is dependent on the preamp power.

A multi-stage optical amplifier has an input port for receiving an optical signal and a relatively short erbium doped optical fiber is coupled to the input port. Complex costly pump feedback is not required as a constant non-varying saturation pump is configured to provide non varying output power pump light of a predetermined wavelength suitable for excitation and full saturation of the erbium ions such that a full population inversion occurs. The length of the short erbium doped fiber and rare earth doping concentration of the erbium doped fiber is such that when pumped by said pump provides amplification of the optical signal of less than 15 dB. Locating a gain flattening filter after the short erbium doped optical fiber provides a relatively flat amplified output signal. Multi-stages of similar short erbium doped fibers pumped and saturated by the same pump signal economically provide increased amplification of the signal and filters after each state flatten the gain.

The present invention relates to the field of optical communication, and particularly to a balanced pumping L-band optical fiber amplifier comprising a first erbium-doped optical fiber, a second erbium-doped optical fiber, an absorbing erbium-doped optical fiber and at least two pumping lasers, the first erbium-doped optical fiber, the second erbium-doped optical fiber and the absorbing erbium-doped optical fiber being sequentially arranged in this order, and the at least two pumping lasers providing pumping light; wherein the first erbium-doped optical fiber and the second erbium-doped optical fiber both are injected with forward pumping light and backward pumping light, and the absorbing erbium-doped fiber is arranged downstream of the second erbium-doped optical fiber to absorb amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) generated in the amplifier. In the present invention, bidirectional pumping 1s applied in the first and last erbium-doped fibers in the optical path, and an erbium-doped optical fiber that has no pumping injection is added to absorb the ASE. Thus, the pumping conversion efficiency is greatly improved, the nonlinear four-wave mixing effect is reduced, and the problem that the L-band optical fiber amplifier has a high noise when utilizing the backward pumping 1s solved. Meanwhile, the noise figure and the manufacturing cost of the amplifier are reduced.

Techniques for extending distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) range in undersea optical cables are provided. For example, DAS range can be extended by transmitting and amplifying a DAS signal along multiple spans of a first optical fiber, routing or bypassing the DAS signal from the first optical fiber to a second optical fiber different from the first fiber via a high-loss loopback architecture, and returning and amplifying the DAS signal along the same multiple spans back to a DAS device. The DAS device may then receive and process the DAS signal to detect any changes in the DAS environment. The loopback configuration may be based on different types of loopback architecture.

The present disclosure generally relates optical amplifier modules. In one form for example, an optical amplifier module includes a booster optical amplifier configured to increase optical power of a first optical signal. The module also includes a preamp optical amplifier configured to increase optical power of a second optical signal and a pump laser optically coupled to the booster optical amplifier and the preamp optical amplifier. The pump laser is configured to provide a booster power to the booster optical amplifier and a preamp power to the preamp optical amplifier, the preamp power is effective to induce a gain in optical power to provide a target optical power of the second optical signal from the preamp optical amplifier, and the booster power is dependent on the preamp power.

A fiber laser apparatus includes a pump light source that emits pump light; a pump delivery fiber that guides the pump light; an amplifying optical fiber that is optically coupled to the pump delivery fiber and guides laser light; and a filter element that causes more loss of light of a wavelength range that includes a peak wavelength of at least one of Stokes light and anti-Stokes light than the laser light. The Stokes light and anti-Stokes light result from four-wave mixing involving a plurality of guide modes in a multi-mode fiber that guides the laser light. The filter element is disposed between: the pump delivery fiber and the amplifying optical fiber, the amplifying optical fiber and the multi-mode fiber, or at the multi-mode fiber.