RAMAN AMPLIFIER AND OPTICAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

摘要

A Raman amplifier that amplifies carrier light by using a Raman amplification medium includes a pumping light source (3) that supplies pumping light that is intensity-modulated in a high frequency equal to or higher than 100 megahertz, to the Raman amplification medium; and a WDM multiplexer (5) that multiplexes the carrier light and the pumping light and guides the multiplexed light to the Raman amplification medium. The Raman amplification medium has a low dispersion characteristic, and has a small difference between a propagation time of the carrier light and a propagation time of the pumping light. With this arrangement, the Raman amplifier achieves high intensity modulation in a high frequency equal to or higher than 100 megahertz.