Phase-sensitive OLCR technique applied to fiber group-velocity dispersion and birefringence measurements

Abstract

The increasing complexity of specialty optical fibers, such as dispersion compensating and photonic crystal fibers, requires the development of high precision measurement techniques. Phase-sensitive optical low-coherence reflectometry is very well suited because it permits complex reflectivity measurements. This technique allows for an accurate and direct characterization of birefringence and group-velocity dispersion from a single measurement of short fiber samples.