Design and experimental characterization of EDFA-based WDM ring networks with free ASE light recirculation and link control for network survivability

Author

Sacchi, G. ; Sugliani, S. ; Bogoni, A. ; Pasquale, F. Di ; Muro, R. Di ; Magri, R. ; Bruno, G. ; Cavaliere, F.

Author_Institution

Photonic Networks Nat. Lab., Pisa, Italy

Volume

23

Issue

3

fYear

2005

fDate

3/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

1170

Lastpage

1181

Abstract

We theoretically and experimentally investigate the performance of erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA)-based WDM ring networks with free amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light recirculation. We show that, with proper network and amplifier design, the lasing light generated by free ASE recirculation within the looped network provides an effective gain clamping technique, ensuring limited signal power excursions under WDM channels add-drop operations. Considering a ring network composed of eight fiber sections and eight EDFAs, maximum signal power overshoots below 2.5dB have been measured under 23/24 WDM channels drop. Optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) analysis and bit-error rate (BER) measurement at 10 Gb/s confirm acceptable performances and negligible penalties due to polarization effects and relative intensity noise transfer from laser light to WDM signals. We also propose and demonstrate a new link control technique which overcomes the main limiting factors of such networks, respectively, related to OSNR degradation, stability and survivability to fiber and EDFA breakages.

Keywords

erbium; error statistics; optical communication equipment; optical fibre amplifiers; optical fibre networks; optical fibre polarisation; optical variables control; superradiance; telecommunication network reliability; wavelength division multiplexing; 10 Gbit/s; EDFA-based networks; OSNR degradation; OSNR stability; OSNR survivability; WDM channel drop; WDM channels; WDM networks; WDM signals; add-drop operations; amplifier design; bit error rate; erbium-doped fiber amplifier; free ASE light recirculation; free amplified spontaneous emission; gain clamping technique; lasing light; limited signal power excursions; link control; looped network; network design; network survivability; optical-signal-to-noise ratio; polarization effects; relative intensity noise transfer; ring networks; Bit error rate; Erbium-doped fiber amplifier; Lighting control; Optical amplifiers; Optical fiber polarization; Optical noise; Signal to noise ratio; Spontaneous emission; WDM networks; Wavelength division multiplexing; Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs); WDM optical networks; gain clamping; transient effects;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Lightwave Technology, Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0733-8724

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/JLT.2005.843471

Filename

1417013