A supervisory channel scheme for EDFA transmission systems that uses Brillouin amplification

A supervisory (SV) signal transmission channel scheme that makes use of fiber Brillouin amplification is proposed for Er-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) transmission systems. In the scheme, the forward line signal pumps the backward SV signal through Brillouin amplification. The scheme is realized by combining a new type of EDFA repeater based on circulators and an optical frequency scanning technique that ensures the SV signal frequency falls within the narrow Brillouin gain band. Bidirectional transmission over a 130 km transmission line is confirmed by successfully measuring the bit error rates of the 2.4 Gb/s line signal and the 5 kb/s SV signal.<
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