D. Irvine-halliday et al., Beat-length measurement of high-birefringence polarization-maintaining optical fiber using the dc Faraday magneto-optic effect, OPT ENG, 39(5), 2000, pp. 1310-1315
The polarization-maintaining (PM) capability of a high-birefringence (hi-bi
) optical fiber can be described in terms of its modal birefringence or bea
t length. In the hi-bi (PM) fiber the beat length can be measured by changi
ng the state of polarization of the light through an external means. One su
ch technique is based on the Faraday magnetooptic effect. The technique is
nondestructive, relatively simple, and efficient, and beat lengths of 2 mm
and less have been measured accurately with it, thus fulfilling the measure
ment requirements for many of the currently available PM fibers. Utilizing
optical sources with wavelengths of 633 and 814 nm, the beat lengths in a t
otal of four hi-bi fibers have been successfully measured using the de Fara
day magneto-optic effect. The experimental results are comprehensive and ve
ry promising, and it has been demonstrated that this nondestructive techniq
ue has significant advantages over many others in simplicity, versatility.
productivity, practicality, and accuracy. (C) 2000 Society of Photo-Optical
Instrumentation Engineers.