Abstract
We demonstrate a multiwavelength source of amplified spontaneous emission suitable for spectrum-sliced, wavelength-division multiplexed access and local-area networks. The source, based on flat-gain optical amplification of a Fabry-Perot laser biased below threshold, provides up to 30-wavelength channels spaced by 138 GHz. We show the potential of the source in network applications by demonstrating wavelength-stabilized, low (<10-9) error rate operation of all 30 wavelength channels at 622 Mb/s.