Investigation of analog signal distortion introduced by a fiber phase sensitive amplifier

Abstract

We numerically simulate the distortion of an analog signal carried in a microwave photonics link containing a phase sensitive amplifier (PSA), focusing mainly on amplitude modulation format. The numerical model is validated by comparison with experimental measurements. By using the well known two-tone test, we compare the situations in which a standard intensity modulator is used with the one where a perfectly linear modulator would be employed. We also investigate the role of gain saturation on the nonlinearity of the PSA. Finally, we establish the conditions, in which the signal nonlinearity introduced by the PSA itself can be extremely small.

Analytical seven-wave model for wave propagation in a degenerate dual-pump fiber phase sensitive amplifier

“…Fiber-optic parametric amplifiers (FOPA) may play a vital role in future communication systems. In particular, fiber phase sensitive amplifiers (PSA) offer promising functionalities such as high gain and ultra-low noise properties [1][2][3][4][5], which make them a potential candidate for a variety of applications such as microwave photonics [6][7][8], 5G technology [9], long-haul optical communication systems [10,11], etc. Such optical amplifiers rely on the parametric amplification of a signal by a strong pump mediated by the nonlinear optical interaction of the pump with the signal, while propagating through a highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF) [12].…”