gain bandwidth vs. amplification bandwidth

[|)avid |V|adden]

Would anyone be kind enough to explain the difference between gain
bandwidth and amplification bandwidth, in the context of optical
amplifiers? I've Googled up a bunch of technical papers that talk
about one, the other, or both, and in ways that make it clear they're
different, but I can't figure out what the difference is.

Thanks,
dave m.

 

[mg]

If gain was in m^(-1)
could it be that
amplification = exp(gain * length)
?

 

[[email protected]]

If gain was in m^(-1)
could it be that
amplification = exp(gain * length)

That is my understanding as well. Gain might be expressed in units of
"% per cm", whereas amplification is a multiplication factor:
(energy out) = amplification x (energy in)

However, the original question was about the bandwidth, which should be
the same for gain and amplification.

 

[RPaschotta]

There is no difference between the terms "gain
bandwidth" and "amplification bandwidth". To be precise,
"amplification" is the term for the phenomenon and "gain" the
corresponding quantity (even though this term is often used for the
phenomenon itself).

There are actually multiple (and different!) definitions of the term
"gain bandwidth". For details, see
http://www.rp-photonics.com/encyclopedia_g.html#k_gain_bandwidth in the
"encyclopedia of laser physics and technology".

 

[Jim Thompson]

There is no difference between the terms "gain
bandwidth" and "amplification bandwidth". To be precise,
"amplification" is the term for the phenomenon and "gain" the
corresponding quantity (even though this term is often used for the
phenomenon itself).

There are actually multiple (and different!) definitions of the term
"gain bandwidth". For details, see
http://www.rp-photonics.com/encyclopedia_g.html#k_gain_bandwidth in the
"encyclopedia of laser physics and technology".

I guess it takes a physicist to really f... up an electronic
definition ;-)

...Jim Thompson