Polarimeter Optical Spectrum Analyzer

Abstract

A coherent optical spectrum analyzer is integrated with a rotating quarter wave plate polarimeter. The combined polarimeter optical spectrum analyzer (POSA) allows the extraction of the state of polarization with high spectral resolution. The POSA is used in this work to study two optical systems. The first is an optical modulator based on a ferrimagnetic sphere resonator. The POSA is employed to explore the underlying magneto–optical mechanism responsible for modulation sideband asymmetry. The second system under study is a cryogenic fiber loop laser, which produces an unequally spaced optical comb. The polarization measurements provide insights into the nonlinear processes responsible for comb creation. Characterizations extracted from the POSA data provide guidelines for the performance optimization of applications based on the systems under study.