Wavelength-dependent transition time of gain saturation in an erbium-doped fiber amplifier

摘要

We report a study of the wavelength dependence of the gain saturation transition time in an erbium-doped fiber amplifier. A self-probe method that enables us to probe the change of population in an amplifier by using a pulse to induce that change was used to evaluate the transition time over a wavelength range from 1528 to 1559 nm. It was found that the transition time changed from 400 ns to 1.65 mu s with increasing wavelength. The wavelength dependence of the transition time was then analyzed using a model to describe the temporal evolution of the erbium population at the input end of a fiber based on McCumber theory.