Optimization of pump parameters for gain flattened Raman fiber amplifiers based on artificial fish school algorithm

In this work, a novel metaheuristic named artificial fish school algorithm is introduced into the optimization of pump parameters for the design of gain flattened Raman fiber amplifiers for the first time. Artificial fish school algorithm emulates three simple social behaviors of a fish in a school, namely, preying, swarming and following, to optimize a target function. In this algorithm the pump wavelengths and power levels are mapped respectively to the state of a fish in a school, and the gain of a Raman fiber amplifier is mapped to the concentration of a food source for the fish school to search. Application of this algorithm to the design of a C-band gain flattened Raman fiber amplifier leads to an optimized amplifier that produces a flat gain spectrum with 0.63 dB in band ripple for given conditions. This result demonstrates that the artificial fish school algorithm is efficient for the optimization of pump parameters of gain flattened Raman fiber amplifiers.