Abstract: This invention relates to an optical fiber for amplification suitable for amplifying signals in the L-band, an optical fiber amplifier including the optical fiber, and an optical transmission system. The optical fiber amplifier according to the invention includes a silica-based optical fiber as an optical fiber for amplification, which has a core region doped with Er and Al. The optical fiber for amplification has an Er concentration of 1,500 wt.ppm or less, and has the characteristics at a wavelength of 1.53 ?m of: an absorption loss of 10 dB/m or more but 25 dB/m or less; and an unsaturated absorption of 900 dB or less.

Abstract: A method of splicing optical fibers is provided to reduce the splicing loss of the first and second optical fibers having different MFDs from each other. In a pre-fusion heating step, the MFD at the adjacent end face of the optical fiber having larger MFD is enlarged by heating a portion including the adjacent end face thereof so as to diffuse a dopant. After the pre-fusion heating step, fusion-splicing of the first and the second optical fibers is performed. Thereafter, during the post-fusion heating step, the dopant is diffused by heating a portion including the fusion-spliced part between the first and the second optical fibers.

Abstract: This invention relates to an optical fiber for amplification suitable for amplifying signals in the L-band, an optical fiber amplifier including the optical fiber, and an optical transmission system. The optical fiber amplifier according to the invention includes a silica-based optical fiber as an optical fiber for amplification, which has a core region doped with Er and Al. The optical fiber for amplification has an Er concentration of 1,500 wt.ppm or less, and has the characteristics at a wavelength of 1.53 &mgr;m of: an absorption loss of 10 dB/m or more but 25 dB/m or less; and an unsaturated absorption of 900 dB or less.

Abstract: The dispersion-compensating fiber according to the present invention is an optical fiber having a structure which, when constituting an optical transmission line together with a dispersion-shifted fiber, whose zero-dispersion wavelength is in a 1.5-&mgr;m wavelength band, for guiding light signals in the 1.5-&mgr;m wavelength band or 1.6-&mgr;m wavelength band, is capable of improving transmission characteristics of the whole optical transmission line and allowing the dispersion to be compensated for efficiently and the size thereof to become smaller; and has a structure for improving the total dispersion slope of the optical transmission line while in a state fully compensating for the dispersion of the dispersion-shifted fiber.

Abstract: A method of splicing optical fibers is provided to reduce the splicing loss of the first and second optical fibers having different MFDs from each other. In a pre-fusion heating step, the MFD at the adjacent end face of the optical fiber having larger MFD is enlarged by heating a portion including the adjacent end face thereof so as to diffuse a dopant. After the pre-fusion heating step, fusion-splicing of the first and the second optical fibers is performed. Thereafter, during the post-fusion heating step, the dopant is diffused by heating a portion including the fusion-spliced part between the first and the second optical fibers.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a nonlinear optical fiber which can generate a nonlinear optical phenomenon with high efficiency, an optical fiber coil wound with the nonlinear optical fiber, and a wavelength converter equipped with the nonlinear optical fiber. In particular, the nonlinear optical fiber according to the present invention has, as characteristics with respect to input light having a predetermined wavelength, a mode field diameter of 5 &mgr;m or less, a polarization mode dispersion of 1 ps/km½ or less or a fixed plane of polarization, a zero-dispersion wavelength of not less than 1.5 &mgr;m but not greater than 1.6 &mgr;m, a cutoff wavelength of not less than 1.4 &mgr;m but not greater than 1.7 &mgr;m at a length of 2 m, a transmission loss of 3 dB/km or less, and a nonlinear coefficient of 10/W/km or more. As a result of this configuration, the nonlinear optical fiber generates, with high efficiency, desirable converted light occurring upon the nonlinear phenomenon.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of making a preform which can restrain each member from deforming at the time of making, and a method of making an optical fiber with a smaller polarization mode dispersion by utilizing this preform. In the method of making a preform, the collapsing step carried out when making the preform is divided into at least two stages composed of a first step of forming a first collapsed body by collapsing a core rod member and a first cladding tube member, and a second step of forming a new collapsed body by collapsing the first collapsed body and a second cladding tube member. Also, in at least the first step, the collapsed body obtained is elongated, whereas such a plurality of stages of collapsing step and elongation of the resulting collapsed body reduce the outer diameter ratio of the outer member to the inner member to be collapsed, whereby the deformation resulting from the heating at the time of a single collapsing operation and the like is hard to occur.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a dispersion compensating fiber for improving a transmission system with it in total chromatic dispersion and dispersion slope in the 1.55 .mu.m wavelength band. The dispersion compensating fiber according to the present invention is characterized by having the following characteristics for light in the 1.55 .mu.m wavelength band: chromatic dispersion not less than -40 ps/km/nm and not more than 0 ps/km/nm; dispersion slope not less than -0.5 ps/km/nm.sup.2 and not more than -0.1 ps/km/nm.sup.2 ; transmission loss not more than 0.5 dB/km; polarization mode dispersion not more than 0.7 ps.multidot.km.sup.-1/2 ; mode field diameter not less than 4.5 .mu.m and not more than 6.5 .mu.m; cut-off wavelength not less than 0.7 .mu.m and not more than 1.7 .mu.m in the length of 2 m; and bending loss at the diameter of 20 mm, not more than 100 dB/m.

Abstract: This method comprises the steps of: introducing light signals having different wavelengths into an optical amplifier, wherein the optical amplifier has a plurality of fibers with rare earth element doped therein and P is selectively doped in said fibers; and introducing excitation light into the fibers, the excitation light being able to excite the rare earth element. At least one of the fibers has Al therein and the relationship between the Al and P concentration satisfies following expression: C(P)/C(Al)>2, where, C(P) is P concentration in the fiber, and C(Al) is Al concentration in the fiber.

Abstract: An optical communication system that compensate for the dispersion of an optical fiber serving as a transmission path is provided. In its simplest form, a dispersion compensating fiber having a sufficient length to compensate for the chromatic dispersion of the optical fiber is divided into portions, each portion having a length selected so as to maintain a linear characteristic of a relative intensity noise of the dispersion compensating fiber, and the divided portions of the dispersion compensating fiber are inserted in the path of the optical fiber while they are optically separated.

Abstract: An optical fiber amplifier comprises a composite optical fiber for receiving signal light and excitation light, amplifying the signal light and emitting the amplified signal light, comprising at least two kinds of optical fibers serially coupled each having a glass composition selected from at least two kinds of rare-earth-doped glass compositions, and excitation means for generating excitation light and supplying it to the composite optical fiber. Then, an optical fiber amplifier which reduces the wavelength dependency of gain in various wavelength ranges in wavelength division multiplexing transmission or in optical analog transmission, and which maintains an energy efficiency for amplification, an optical fiber amplifier which makes a wavelength at a gain peak to a predetermined one in accordance with intensities of various input lights, and an optical amplifier repeater comprising this optical fiber amplifier are provided.

Abstract: An optical fiber amplifier comprises a composite optical fiber for receiving signal light and excitation light, amplifying the signal light and emitting the amplified signal light, comprising at least two kinds of optical fibers serially coupled each having a glass composition selected from at least two kinds of rare-earth-doped glass compositions, and excitation means for generating excitation light and supplying it to the composite optical fiber. Then, an optical fiber amplifier which reduces the wavelength dependency of gain in various wavelength ranges in wavelength division multiplexing transmission or in optical analog transmission, and which maintains an energy efficiency for amplification, an optical fiber amplifier which makes a wavelength at a gain peak to a predetermined one in accordance with intensities of various input lights, and an optical amplifier repeater comprising this optical fiber amplifier are provided.

Abstract: An optical communication system that compensate for the dispersion of an optical fiber serving as a transmission path is provided. In its simplest form a dispersion compensating fiber having a sufficient length to compensate for the chromatic dispersion of the optical fiber is divided into portions, each portion having a length selected so as to maintain a linear characteristic of a relative intensity noise of the dispersion compensating fiber, and the divided portions of the dispersion compensating fiber are inserted in the path of the optical fiber while they are optically separated.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a dispersion compensating fiber for improving a transmission system with it in total chromatic dispersion and dispersion slope in the 1.55 &mgr;m wavelength band. The dispersion compensating fiber according to the present invention is characterized by having the following characteristics for light in the 1.55 &mgr;m wavelength band: chromatic dispersion not less than −40 ps/km/nm and not more than 0 ps/km/nm; dispersion slope not less than −0.5 ps/km/nm2 and not more than −0.1 ps/km/nm2; transmission loss not more than 0.5 dB/km; polarization mode dispersion not more than 0.7 ps.km−½; mode field diameter not less than 4.5 &mgr;m and not more than 6.5 &mgr;m; cut-off wavelength not less than 0.7 &mgr;m and not more than 1.7 &mgr;m in the length of 2 m; and bending loss at the diameter of 20 mm, not more than 100 dB/m.