POLARIZATION-INDUCED FADING IN FIBEROPTIC SENSOR ARRAYS

The statistics of polarization-induced visibility fading is studied fo r fiber-optic interferometric (Michelson or Mach-Zehnder) sensor array s made of either regular single-mode fibers or polarization-maintainin g fibers. Performance is measured in terms of the probability to obser ve visibilities, all of which exceed a given value, for all members of the array, Very poor performance is obtained for arrays made of nonpo larization maintaining fibers, unless the input state of polarization is dynamically controlled to optimize the visibility of the worst sens or of the array, While the use of the more costly polarization-maintai ning fibers could, in principle, solve this polarization-related fadin g problem, finite extinction ratios of couplers and splices make the p erformance of such arrays comparable to that Of nonpolarization mainta ining arrays with optimally;controlled input-polarization.