Cognitive Raman Amplifier Control Using an Evolutionary Optimization Strategy

In this work, a cognitive Raman amplifier controller using an evolutionary optimization strategy for both in-field device calibration and optimal pump power configuration design is presented. The conceived methodology allows to jointly characterize the physical layer properties of the optical fiber span, such as the fiber attenuation profile, the entities of the lumped losses due to mechanical connectors or splices, the polarization coefficients between each Raman pump pair and the Raman efficiency curve. The developed framework expects to work using optical channel monitors (OCMs) as telemetry device and it has been experimentally validated, obtaining outstanding results in terms of precision on a C-band setup.