Raman Fiber Amplifier With Integrated Cooler

We present a new scheme for a laser cooled Raman optical fiber amplifier. The heat generated in the process of Raman amplification (RA) is compensated for with laser cooling provided by anti-Stokes fluorescence of ytterbium ions doped in the core of the fiber. The device is pumped with two pump sources. One of the pump sources provides RA of the signal and does not interact with the ytterbium ions in the core; a second pump cools the fiber through anti-Stokes fluorescence of the Yb³⁺ ions. The proper arrangement of Yb³⁺ distribution can provide athermal performance of the device.