Low noise, optical amplifier having post-amplification loss element.

摘要

In an optical arrangement for amplifying an input lightwave signal by a predetermined amount to a desired output level, an optical amplifier (15) is connected to a loss element (18). The optical amplifier is pumped by an amount exceeding a nominal amount wherein the nominal amount is the amount of pumping needed to attain the desired output level at the optical amplifier output. By attenuating the signal output from the optical amplifier, the loss element generates an output signal from the optical arrangement at the desired output level. This optical arrangement is characterized by an improved noise performance (noise figure) over standard optical amplifiers. <IMAGE>