Abstract

Recent experiments showed that there exists severe channel cross talk in 1.3-μm wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) subcarrier-multiplexed (SCM) CATV systems with 16-nm channel spacing.¹ We measured channel cross talk for 2-16-nm channel spacings in 1.5-μm WDM SCM systems using erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs). Some interesting features were observed in cross talk vs. channel spacing dependence. It’s higher at 2-nm channel spacing than at 16 nm, while there is a minimum around 8 nm. Although the cross talk at large channel spacings can be explained by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS),² its behavior at small channel spacings is somewhat intriguing. We explain it by Kerr-shutter effect.

© 1996 Optical Society of America