Analog post amplifier effect on signal sampling and monitoring systems

Abstract

Synchronous and asynchronous sampling of analog signals have been established as important methods in performance monitoring of optical communication systems. The effect of analog front end amplifiers on the sampling method accuracy have been investigated using experimental measurements. The results show that post amplifiers, with automatic gain control, have a strong influence on the estimated signal quality measure (Q). When these amplifiers are operated in linear mode with optimized gain ranges the sampling method gave more accurate Q values.