Reducing noise in a fiber amplifier using a cleaning optical signal

1. A method for reducing noise in a fiber amplifier with respect to an optical signal of interest to be amplified by the fiber amplifier, comprising:

a. generating a broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal having a bandwidth that is outside of the bandwidth of the optical signal of interest;

b. combining the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal with the optical signal of interest into a multi-mode optical fiber so that the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal uniformly fills substantially an entire core of the multi-mode optical fiber; and

c. amplifying the optical signal of interest and the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal in the multi-mode optical fiber with the fiber amplifier, wherein the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal increases generation of photos by stimulation so that as many photons as possible that are released from ions in the fiber amplifier are released by stimulation and not by spontaneous emission when a level of the optical signal of interest is very low or zero.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein combining comprises coupling the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal and the optical signal of interest to a wavelength division multiplexer and connecting an output of the wavelength division multiplexer to one end of the multi-mode optical fiber and connecting another end of the multi-mode optical fiber to an input of the fiber amplifier.

3. The method of claim 1 , and further comprising separating the amplified signal of interest output by the fiber amplifier from the amplified broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein separating comprises coupling an output of the fiber amplifier to a wavelength division de-multiplexer that de-multiplexes the amplified optical signal of interest and the amplified broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating comprises generating the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal so as to have a bandwidth that is within an amplification band of the fiber amplifier.

6. The method of claim 1 , and wherein generating comprises generating the optical signal of interest with an average intensity that is substantially lower than an intensity of the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal.

7. A method for pre-amplifying an optical signal transmitted across free space, comprising the method of claim 1 , wherein the optical signal of interest is a received free space optical signal.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating comprises generating the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal with an intensity such that brighter regions of the multi-mode optical fiber are not orders of magnitude brighter than dimmer regions in the multi-mode optical fiber.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating comprises generating the optical signal of interest and the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal such that a ratio of intensity of brightest regions to dimmer regions in the multi-mode optical fiber is between 1 and 2.

10. A fiber amplifier system comprising:

a. a broad-band continuous wave optical source that produces a broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal having a bandwidth that is outside the bandwidth of an optical signal of interest;

b. a wavelength division multiplexer receiving as input said optical signal of interest and said broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal and that combines the optical signal of interest and the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal for output;

c. a multi-mode optical fiber coupled to an output of the wavelength division multiplexer to receive the combined optical signal of interest and broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal such that the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal uniformly fills substantially an entire core of the multi-mode optical fiber; and

d. a fiber amplifier coupled to the multi-mode optical fiber to amplify the optical signal of interest and the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal, wherein the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal increases generation of photons by stimulation so that as many photons as possible that are released from ions in the fiber amplifier are released by stimulation and not by spontaneous emission when a level of the optical signal of interest is very low or zero.

11. The system of claim 10 , and further comprising a wavelength division de-multiplexer that is coupled to an output of the fiber amplifier and that separates the amplified optical signal of interest from the amplified broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the broad-band continuous wave optical source generates the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal so as to have a bandwidth that is within an amplification band of the fiber amplifier.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the optical signal of interest has an average intensity that is substantially lower than an intensity of the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal.

14. A pre-amplifier for use in a receiver of a free space optical communication system, wherein the pre-amplifier comprises the fiber amplifier system of claim 10 and wherein the optical signal of interest is a received free space optical signal.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the broad-band continuous wave light source generates the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal such that a ratio of intensity of brightest regions to dimmer regions in the multi-mode optical fiber is between 1 and 2.

16. A method for reducing noise produced by a fiber amplifier by combining into a multi-mode optical fiber an optical signal to be amplified with a broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal that uniformly fills substantially an entire core of the multi-mode optical fiber so that the continuous wave optical signal increases generation of photons by stimulation and not by spontaneous emission when a level of the optical signal of interest is very low or zero.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein combining comprises combining the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal that has a bandwidth that is outside of the bandwidth of the optical signal to be amplified.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein combining comprises combining the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal that is within an amplification band of the fiber amplifier.

19. The method of claim 16 , and further comprising generating the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal with an intensity such that brighter regions of the multi-mode optical fiber are not orders of magnitude brighter than dimmer regions in the optical fiber.

20. A method for pre-amplifying an optical signal transmitted across free space, comprising the method of claim 16 , wherein the optical signal of interest is a received free space optical signal.

21. The method of claim 16 , and further comprising generating the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal with an intensity such that brighter regions of the multi-mode optical fiber are not orders of magnitude brighter than dimmer regions in the multi-mode optical fiber.

22. The method of claim 16 , wherein generating comprises generating the optical signal of interest and the broad-band continuous wave incoherent optical signal such that a ratio of intensity of brightest regions to dimmer regions in the multi-mode optical fiber is between 1 and 2.