An optical amplifying apparatus is basically arranged by employing an amplifying optical fiber, a pumping light source, and a wavelength division multiplexer for entering thereinto pumping light. This optical amplifying apparatus is further arranged by employing an amplified signal light reentering unit for branching a portion of amplified signal light and for reentering the branched/amplified signal light into an amplifying optical fiber from an output side thereof along a backward direction; an amplified signal light level control circuit for controlling a level in such a manner that a total output level becomes a predetermined value, and this total output level is obtained by adding an output level of the amplified signal light to an output level of the amplified signal light which has been reentered into the amplifying optical fiber to be optically amplified; and also a gain control circuit for detecting an input level of signal light and an input level of branched/amplified signal light before being reentered into the amplifying optical fiber and output level of the amplified signal light and an output level of branched/amplified signal light after being reentered into the amplifying optical fiber, and also for controlling a gain in such a manner that this gain is maintained to a preselected value. Even when a total number of channels is changed in the wavelength division multiplexing transmission, levels of the respective channels are kept constant. Even during transition response, there is no level change in the signal light.
展开▼
