Reducing power requirements for optical links

An optical system, comprising:

• a transmitter including multiple laser cavities that each generates an optical channel at a different channel wavelength,
• the transmitter being configured to modulate the optical channels into modulated light signals,
• the transmitter configured to operate in an atmosphere having an operational temperature range that includes a temperature range extending from TL to TH;
• and
• transmitter electronics are configured to elevate the temperature of the transmitter when the temperature of the atmosphere is in a first portion of the temperature range extending from TL to TH but not elevate the temperature of the transmitter when the temperature of the atmosphere is in a second portion of the temperature range extending from TL to TH;
• an optical receiver in optical communication with the transmitter such that the receiver receives the modulated signals, the receiver including a demultiplexer for demultiplexing the received modulated signals and DBW representing the bandwidth of the demultiplexer included in the receiver;
• the receiver being configured to operate in an atmosphere having an operational temperature range extending from RTL to RTH and the receiver electronics configured to control the temperature of the receiver such that the temperature of the receiver is above a second receiver temperature when a first receiver temperature is above a receiver temperature threshold and also when the first receiver temperature is below the receiver temperature threshold,
• the first receiver temperature being selected from a group consisting of a temperature of the receiver and a temperature of the atmosphere in which the receiver is located,
• the receiver temperature threshold being between RTL and RTH and the second receiver temperature being at least equal to the receiver temperature threshold.