HOW ACCURATELY CAN ONE MEASURE A STATISTICAL QUANTITY LIKE POLARIZATION-MODE DISPERSION

Citation
N. Gisin et al., HOW ACCURATELY CAN ONE MEASURE A STATISTICAL QUANTITY LIKE POLARIZATION-MODE DISPERSION, IEEE photonics technology letters, 8(12), 1996, pp. 1671-1673
Citations number
9
Categorie Soggetti
Optics,"Physics, Applied
ISSN journal
10411135
Volume
8
Issue
12
Year of publication
1996
Pages
1671 - 1673
Database
ISI
SICI code
1041-1135(1996)8:12<1671:HACOMA>2.0.ZU;2-C
Abstract
The differential group delay (DGD) due to varying local birefringence and random polarization mode coupling is a statistical quantity. Its v alue at any wavelength fluctuates in time. At any given moment it is w avelength sensitive. Hence, polarization-mode dispersion can only be d efined as a mean or rms value of the DGD. All measurements of polariza tion-mode dispersion involve thus an averaging over a finite sample se t. Consequently, all measurements are intrinsically of limited accurac y. We present analytical formulae and numerical data characterizing th is intrinsic limitation common to all measurement techniques.