Gain-controllable optical amplifier and optical gain-control method

摘要

This invention provides an optical amplifier which has low noise characteristics for a wide range of input signal electric power. The optical amplifier has a plurality of cascaded optical amplifying units, a signal level detector, and a pump-source controller. The pump-source controller changes controlling objects from a pump-source corresponding to a first one of the optical amplifying units to a pump-source corresponding to a second one of the optical amplifying units according to a detection level of the signal level detector from a low level to a high level. When the detection level is outside of a control object range, the optical amplifier controls an output from the pump-source to stabilize. When the detection level is within the control object range, the optical amplifier controls an output from a pump-source of each of optical amplifying units according to the detection level.