Monte Carlo analysis of the parameters impacting the gain of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers

Research on Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs) has demonstrated their significant utility not only in the terrestrial telecommunications sector but also in the field of space missions. In such environment, the presence of ionizing radiation degrades the amplifier performance, causing Radiation Induced Attenuation (RIA) and changes in spectroscopic properties, including lifetimes and cross sections. This study analyzes the impact of variations in individual amplifier parameters on optical gain, considering both spectroscopic and operational parameters (pump power and signal power). EDFA performance was estimated using a home-made simulation code based on rate equations and power propagation equations. Two case studies were considered: in the first, all parameters are varied within ±20% of their nominal values, and in the second within ±50%. Both case studies employed the Monte Carlo (MC) approach, performing a large number of simulations (50000 in both case studies). A multivariate analysis was conducted to assess the influence of individual variables and their pairs on gain, using the Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient (SRCC), the Partial Rank Correlation (PRCC) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR). Results show that, in both scenarios, the parameter with the greatest impact on EDFA gain is the pump power.