A normalized EDFA gain formula is derived by introducing a parameter X
i
describing the deviation of EDFA parameters from their stable values. The results show that using X
i
as the criterion of systern singal-restoration characteristic is simple and practical.For terrestrial systems where EDFAs are less saturated
optical power can regain 90 percent of its original value within 3 stages when the system suffers a 3dB dip. System BER varies with perturbation location. A less saturated EDFA wousld result in a worse BER under perturbation
and this should be seriouly considered in system design.