Method and apparatus for amplified spontaneous emission corrected automatic signal power control of an optical amplifier

1. A method comprising:

measuring power of an input optical signal;

determining a target usable signal power;

amplifying the input optical signal to produce an amplified optical signal comprising an amplified input optical signal and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE);

determining an estimate of the ASE power in the amplified optical signal as a non-linear function of gain; and

controlling the amplifying such that the amplified input optical signal has a power substantially equal to the target usable signal power.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the estimate of the ASE power as a non-linear function of gain comprises determining the estimate of the ASE power as a function of the power of the input optical signal and the target usable signal power.

3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising determining the estimate of the ASE power as a function of the power of the input optical signal, the target usable signal power and a signal wavelength.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the input optical signal comprises a multi-channel optical signal comprising optical signals at a plurality of wavelengths, and wherein the signal wavelength is an average of the plurality of wavelengths.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the target usable signal power comprises any one of:

providing the target usable signal power as a constant; and

providing a desired gain and calculating the target usable signal power according to:

the target usable signal power=(the desired gain)*(the power of the input optical signal).

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising calibrating to determine one or more calibration constants, wherein determining the estimate of the ASE power as a non-linear function of gain comprises determining the estimate of the ASE power as a function of the power of the input optical signal and the target usable signal power using the ASE calibration constants.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein controlling the amplifying comprises any one of controlling a true gain of an amplifier and controlling an attenuation of an attenuator.

8. The method according to claim 7 further comprising:

measuring power of the amplified optical signal; and controlling the amplifying as a function of the power of the input optical signal and the power of the amplified optical signal.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining a signal wavelength, a calibration wavelength and ASE calibration constants, wherein:

amplifying the input optical signal comprises amplifying the input optical signal with a static flat-gain erbium doped fiber amplifier with a substantially flat gain at a designed-flat-gain level using at least one gain flattening filter (GFF); and

determining the estimate of the ASE power as a non-linear function of gain comprises calculating the estimate of the ASE power according to:

G=S t /S in ;

and

P ASE (λ s )=( G/G flat ) 0.025(λ s −λ c ) [A 1 G 2 +A 2 G+A 3 S 1 ];

wherein: G is a desired gain; S in is the measured power of the input optical signal; S t is the target usable signal power; λ s is the signal wavelength; G flat is the designed-flat-gain level; λ c is the calibration wavelength; and A 1 , A 2 and A 3 are the ASE calibration constants.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining a signal wavelength, a calibration wavelength, a calibration gain level and ASE calibration constants; wherein:

amplifying the input optical signal comprises amplifying the input optical signal with a single-channel erbium doped fiber amplifier; and

determining the estimate of the ASE power as a non-linear function of gain comprises calculating the estimate of the ASE power according to:

G (λ s )= S t /S in (λ s );

G R (λ s )= G (λ s )/ G c (λ s );

and

P ASE (λ s )=( G R (λ s )) 0.025(λ s −λ c ) [A 1 ( G R (λ s )) 2 +A 2 G R (λ s )+ A 3 S t ];

wherein: G(λ s ) is a desired gain; S t is the target usable signal power; S in is the measured power of the input optical signal at λ R ; λ s is the signal wavelength; G c (λ s ) is the calibration gain level; λ c is the calibration wavelength; and A 1 , A 2 and A 3 are the ASE calibration constants.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a signal wavelength, a calibration wavelength, a calibration gain level and ASE calibration constants; wherein:

amplifying the input optical signal comprises amplifying the input optical signal with a dynamic flat-gain erbium doped fiber amplifier with at least one variable optical attenuator (VOA) and at least one GFF; and

determining the estimate of the ASE power as a non-linear function of gain comprises calculating the estimate of the ASE power according to:

G=S t /S in ;

and

P ASE =[A 1 G 2 +A 2 G+A 3 S t ];

wherein: G is a desired gain; S t is the target usable signal power; S in is the power of the input optical signal; and A 1 , A 2 and A 3 are the ASE calibration constants.

12. The method according to claim 1 further comprising determining an estimated noise figure as a function of the ASE power, the measured power of the input optical signal and the target usable signal power.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein determining the estimated noise figure comprises calculating the estimated noise figure according to:

G=S t /S in ;

and

NF=P ASE /(GN g );

wherein: NF is the estimated noise figure; P ASE is the ASE power; G is gain; S t is the target usable signal power; S in is the measured power of the input optical signal; and N g is quantum noise measured in a 0.1 nm resolution bandwidth, which is equal to 16×10 −10 watt.

14. An optical amplifier system with an optical input, an optical output and a control input, comprising:

an optical amplifier in a signal path between the optical input and the optical output, operable to amplify an input optical signal to produce an amplified optical signal comprising an amplified input optical signal and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE);

a first photodetector operable to measure power of the input optical signal at the optical input;

a second photodetector operable to measure power of the amplified optical signal at the optical output;

an amplification controller functionally connected to the optical amplifier, the control input and the first and second photodetectors, operable to:

determine a target usable signal power;

determine an estimate of ASE power in the amplified optical signal as a non-linear function of gain of the optical amplifier; and

control the optical amplifier such that the amplified input optical signal has a power substantially equal to the target usable signal power.

15. The optical amplifier system according to claim 14 wherein the optical amplifier comprises at least one of an erbium doped fiber amplifier and a semiconductor optical amplifier.

16. The optical amplifier system according to claim 14 further comprising the amplification controller operable to carry out a calibration process to determine at least one ASE calibration constant.

17. The optical amplifier system according to claim 15 , wherein the optical amplifier further comprises at least one variable optical attenuator, wherein the amplification controller is further operable to control the optical amplifier by controlling the at least one variable optical attenuator.

18. The optical amplifier system according to claim 17 , wherein the optical amplifier further comprises at least one gain flattening filter.

19. A method for controlling an optical amplifier comprising:

determining target usable signal power;

estimating ASE power in an amplified optical signal comprising an amplified input optical signal and ASE as a non-linear function of an input optical signal power and the target usable signal power; and

controlling at least one control signal such that the amplified input optical signal has a power substantially equal to the target usable signal power.

20. A computer readable medium having recorded thereon statements and instructions for execution by a computer to carry out the method of claim 19 .

21. A controller comprising:

a first input operable to receive a measurement of power of an input optical signal of at least one optical amplifier operable to amplify the input optical signal to produce an amplified optical signal comprising an amplified input optical signal and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE);

a second input operable to receive a measurement of power of the amplified optical signal of the at least one optical amplifier;

control logic operable to:

determine a target usable signal power;

determine an estimate of ASE power in the amplified optical signal as a non-linear function of gain of the at least one optical amplifier; and

provide at least one control signal operable to adjust the gain of the at least one optical amplifier such that the amplified input optical signal has a power substantially equal to the target usable signal power; and

at least one control signal output operable to output the at least one control signal.

22. The controller according to claim 21 , wherein the controller comprises any one of an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array and a programmable logic device.