Amplifikation

Amplifikation, or amplification, is the process of increasing the magnitude or quantity of something originally smaller. In science and technology, amplification is used to boost signals, numbers of molecules, or energy. The methods depend on the domain but share the goal of producing a larger output from a smaller input while preserving essential characteristics of the original signal where possible.

In electronics, an amplifier increases an electrical signal. The gain is the ratio of output to input, often expressed in decibels. Amplifiers are designed to handle voltage, current, or power and are implemented with transistors or operational amplifiers. Key performance factors include bandwidth, linearity, noise, distortion, impedance matching, and stability. Feedback is commonly used to set gain and improve fidelity.

Optical amplification uses gain media to strengthen light within a communication link. Fiber-optic amplifiers, such as erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, boost signals in long-haul networks without converting back to electrical form. Performance is characterized by gain, saturation, and noise figure. Optical amplification enables higher transmission distances and denser wavelength-division multiplexing.

In biology, amplification refers to increasing the amount of a molecular target or the strength of a biochemical signal. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifies DNA exponentially, producing millions to billions of copies. Other methods include isothermal amplification (LAMP, RPA) and rolling circle amplification. In cell signaling, amplification describes cascades that magnify weak signals through enzymatic steps, increasing sensitivity.

In acoustics and audio, amplification raises the level of sound signals to drive loudspeakers. In measurement and imaging, amplification can also describe data processing steps that enhance weak signals for analysis.