VARIABLE SPECTRAL WIDTH MULTIPLE PASS OPTICAL NOISVARIABLE SPECTRAL WIDTH MULTIPLE PASS OPTICAL NOISE SOURCE E SOURCE

摘要

An apparatus for creating an optical noise of a predetermined bandwidth that uses an optical amplifier which amplifies optical noise components and produces unpolarized optical noise by spontaneous emission, a mirror to reflect the optical noise components back to the optical amplifier and a filter that filters out optical noise components outside the predetermined optical bandwidth. The filter is located so that optical noise components passed by the filter are amplified in the optical amplifier during an additional amplification. Optionally, a polarizer and Faraday rotator are used in the apparatus. The optical noise created in the optical amplifier is polarized in the polarizer after two amplifications, rotated in the Faraday rotator, then amplified two more times before leaving the apparatus.