Patent ID: 7869673
Filing Date: 2011-01-11
Classification: G02B,H04B

Abstract:
1. An optical fiber stretch that defines an optical path from a first node to a second node in an optical communication system, the optical fiber stretch comprising: a proximate optical fiber portion that is proximate the first node when a first end of the optical fiber stretch is optically coupled to the first node; a more remote optical fiber portion that is more remote in the optical path from the first node than the proximate optical fiber portion, but that is still closer to the first node than the second node when a second end of the optical fiber stretch is optically coupled to the second node; wherein the effective cross-sectional area of the more remote optical fiber portion is more than the effective cross-sectional area of the proximate optical fiber portion, and wherein the length of the proximate optical fiber portion is selected such that when forward Raman amplification is applied at the first node, a signal propagating from the first node towards the second node reaches peak optical signal power due to the forward Raman amplification in the more remote optical fiber.