Abstract
This chapter discusses the characterization of amplifiers as they pertain to gain, noise, and conversion efficiency. The gain of an amplifier is expressed as the ratio between the input signal level and the output signal level, expressed in dB. Polarization-dependent effects and broadband optical noise accompanying the signal at the amplifier output complicate the measurement of the gain of an optical amplifier. An alternate method of discriminating signal from noise is to modulate the input signal using a mechanical chopper and detect the signal component in the output by phase-sensitive detection. The efficiency of this conversion is expressed as either the power conversion efficiency or quantum conversion efficiency. It concludes with the discussion of amplifier design issues for various applications.
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