POLARIZATION-INDUCED NOISE IN A FIBEROPTIC MICHELSON INTERFEROMETER WITH FARADAY ROTATOR MIRROR ELEMENTS

Faraday rotator mirror elements have been used in a number of applicat ions as compensators for induced birefringence in retracing paths. In interferometric systems, such as the fiber-optic Michelson interferome ter, this approach proved to be useful in providing maximum fringe vis ibility and insensitivity to the polarization state of light injected into the interferometer. However, it is found that, when the character istics of the fiber coupler depend on the polarization state of the in put beam, the efficiency of the Faraday mirror elements is limited. Th eoretical analysis and experimental results in support of this stateme nt are presented.