Enhanced analog-optical link performance with noiseless phase-sensitive fiber optical parametric amplifiers.

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Communications
• Nonlinear Optics
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Analog optical link performance is degraded by noise, particularly at low optical signal power.
• Conventional optical pre-amplifiers introduce noise, limiting signal quality and distribution distance.
• The impact of various noise sources on analog optical signals at low power has been under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the performance enhancement of analog optical links using noiseless phase-sensitive fiber optical parametric amplifiers (PS-POPA).
• To quantify the theoretical improvements in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR).
• To experimentally validate the theoretical predictions using a PS-POPA.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical analysis of noise sources and their impact on analog optical signal quality.
• Modeling of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) improvements with reduced noise figure.
• Experimental implementation using a phase-sensitive fiber optical parametric amplifier (PS-POPA) with a 1.3 dB noise figure and comparison with conventional optical pre-amplifiers.

Main Results:

• Theoretical predictions show potential SNR and SFDR increases of up to ~6 dB and ~4 dB, respectively, when the optical pre-amplifier noise figure drops by 3 dB at received optical powers below -65 dBm.
• Experimental results align with theoretical expectations, demonstrating the effectiveness of the PS-POPA.
• The implemented PS-POPA achieved a noise figure of 1.3 dB.

Conclusions:

• Noiseless phase-sensitive optical amplification offers a significant enhancement for analog optical link performance.
• This technology can overcome limitations imposed by noise at low optical signal powers.
• PS-POPA technology shows promise for long-haul distribution of analog optical signals and applications in microwave-photonic systems.