SINGLE MUELLER MATRIX DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPAGATION OF DEGREE OF POLARIZATION IN A UNIFORMLY ANISOTROPIC SINGLE-MODE OPTICAL-FIBER

Changes in the degree of polarisation upon propagation in a uniformly anisotropic single-mode optical fibre are described by a single Muelle r matrix. Both the monochromatic and quasimonochromatic cases are disc ussed. The authors show how the propagation degree of polarisation dep ends on the temporal coherence, the coupling coefficient, the differen tial propagation constant and the differential loss, of which the last two are taken as frequency dependent. A form factor PSI is introduced , and the saturation level of the degree of polarisation along the fib re is linked to the temporal coherence, the differential propagation c onstant and the differential loss.