Analysis of interaction between stretched pulses propagating in dispersion-managed fibers

Mutual interaction between a pair of stretched pulses propagating in periodically amplified dispersion-managed fibers is analyzed by means of the variational method. It is shown that the location of the amplifier within a unit cell of the dispersion management significantly affects the energy enhancement and interaction between adjacent pulses. The collapse distance of the two pulses can be extended by suitably positioning the amplifier.