Polarization loss with distance

May 09, 2011 2 Replies

I am looking for references to published measurement data on the rate of loss of linear polarization with propagation distance in multimode and/or singlemode fibers.



Note that this is not the same as the rotation of polarization with distance travelled.



For example, a test could be that one launches pure linear polarized light and measures the remaining degree of polarization as one cuts the fiber back.



At great distance, all polarization is lost, so the light passing through a rotating linear polarizer does not change with rotation. At short distances, the light passing through the rotating polarizer varies greatly with rotation angle, achieving extinction at some rotation angles. In between, there is variation but no extinction.



Thanks in advance,



Joe Gwinn


Do you mean birefringence or polarization mode dispersion (PMD)?

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

Hmm. Both, I suspect.

The intent was to have some idea of how much coupling between modes there really is, and polarizations of the same mode are perfectly matched for energy transfer and eventual equipartition.

Joe Gwinn

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