Abstract

Analog optical links are of great interest in applications such as cable television, antenna remoting, and phased-array radars. Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) could provide significant improvement in the link performance because of their large gain, high output power, broad gain bandwidth, and polarization insensitivity. Although EDFAs degrade the system performance by generating amplified-spontaneous-emission (ASE) noise, they lengthen the transmission distance of point- to-point links and increase the number of subscribers in a distribution system.

© 1994 Optical Society of America