Abstract

In soliton-based communication systems, amplifiers are needed to compensate for fiber loss so as to maintain long-span non-distorted propagation. The erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) is the prime candidate for the amplification of solitons because of its well-known merits. Papers on soliton amplification^1,2 have been mainly devoted to femtosecond soliton amplification and therefore are not directly applicable to the optimum design of soliton amplifiers used in picosecond soliton communication. The emphasis of our work is on picosecond soliton amplification. A new model has been established. So that the model should be as practical as possible, excited-stated absorption is considered for what we believe to be the first time; this will enable the model to be used in cases with different pumping wavelengths.

© 1995 Optical Society of America