This paper investigates the applicability of a model of a cladding-pumped multicore erbium-doped fiber amplifier (CP-MC-EDFA) that employs the average inversion level of an erbium ion. The model is modified to include the effects of multiple cores for modifications of the background loss coefficient of the pump light. The model is validated experimentally by measurements of the pump power, gain transient, and intercore cross-gain modulation of a cladding-pumped 12-core EDFA in which the pump light is uniformly distributed in the inner cladding. The calculated and measured pump power, gain transient response, and gain change caused by the intercore cross-gain modulation agree well, suggesting the modified model is useful for characterizing a CP-MC-EDFA. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America.
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