Crosstalk in fiber Raman amplification for WDM systems

The crosstalk between channels in Raman amplification for two-channel WDM system is calculated. Theory shows that severe crosstalk can occur even in the linear amplification (or pump undepletion) region. To ensure small crosstalk, the signal gain and injected pump power should be limited to values well below the threshold of Raman amplification. As a numerical example, a 30-dB gain penalty and 3-dB pump power penalty occur when a 30-dB signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) is required. Thus, the conversion efficiency of Raman amplification in WDM systems is very low