We investigated, theoretically and experimentally, the effect of optical amplification on the dynamic range performance of both externally modulated direct detection and coherent RF optical links. Our results show that, for low-to medium-loss links, a direct detection link with or without an optical amplifier, depending on the loss range, gives the best dynamic range. For high-loss links, the best link to use is a coherent link with the optical amplifier after the modulator. We also showed that the position of an amplifier is an important design parameter; it determines whether or not an optical amplifier improves the link's dynamic range.Index Terms-Analog systems, erbium, microwave technology, optical amplifier, optical communication, optical fiber amplifier, optical fiber communication, optical signal processing.
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