Patent ID: 7034993

Claim:
An optical amplifier apparatus comprising: a first optical amplifier which amplifies an input wavelength-multiplexed signal light; an optical variable attenuator which attenuates an output signal light of said first optical amplifier; a second optical amplifier which amplifies an output signal light of said optical variable attenuator; an output detecting unit which detects an output level at an output side of said second optical amplifier; an output control unit which controls output lights of excitation light sources of said first optical amplifier and said second optical amplifier according to an output level detected by said output detecting unit; a gain inclination detecting unit which detects a gain inclination of said second optical amplifier; and a gain inclination control unit which controls a gain inclination by adjusting the attenuation of an output signal light attenuated by said optical variable attenuator according to a gain inclination detected by said gain inclination detecting unit.