Importance

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Abstract

In an optical amplifier, multiplexed light beams inputted to an optical amplifying medium are guided and the optical amplifying medium is excited by an exciting source to change the mu-factor. Part of multiplexed light beams amplified by the optical amplifying medium are branched by an optical coupler, only a probe light beam is separated from the branched multiplexed light beams by means of a light separating unit, and the probe light beam is detected by a light receiving unit. A controller controls an amount of operation of the exciting source on the optical amplifying medium such that an output of the light receiving unit (an output of the probe light beam) becomes constant, thereby controlling the output of the probe light beam and the outputs of the multiplexed signal light beams to constant values. By using the optical amplifier constructed as above, an optical amplifier can be provided which can control individual wavelength outputs without greatly affecting the signal transmission even when the number of signal wavelengths to be multiplexed changes and an optical transmission system using the optical amplifier can also be provided.

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First Claim