Parametric gain on dispersion compensated fiber links

Dispersion and Kerr nonlinearity in optical fibers can generate a transfer of optical power among different spectral regions. When a signal propagates along the fiber, it generates a spectral region around itself where a small signal can experience gain. This phenomenon, known as Parametric Gain (PG), can be detrimental in optically amplified links, since it can give rise to an enhancement of ASE noise and a depletion of the useful signal. We analyze the dependence of PG on the distance between compensating fibers and transmitted optical power, and its influence on a 2.5 Gb/s, 6,000 km long fiber link. We show that our formalism is extremely powerful to optimize system parameters and can consequently be used as a effective system design tool.