Fiber Length Dependence of Polarization Mode Dispersion Measurements in Long-Length Optical Fibers and Installed Optical Submarine Cables

Abstract

Using an interferometric detection technique with AC modulation for searching the interference fringe signal, a highly accurate polarization mode dispersion (PMD) measurement system with 0.003 ps/m resolution has been developed. A comparison of this PMD measurement with the other wavelength scanning PMD method is described. Fiber length dependence of PMD measurements in long-length optical fibers is presented. Based on the square root of fiber length dependence of PMD confirmed in this measurement, the maximum PMD in the cascaded lOOkm-long optical fibers and installed 60 km-long optical submarine cabled fibers are less than 0.1 ps/j/km. Also, the statistical point of view of the PMD measurements in the optical fibers is presented.

Long term stability of aerial optical cables with respect to gigabit/s data rates

“…However, in both, time and wavelength domain, one has to make sure that the samples are independent and are not taken in too close vicinity. Due to the compensating effects of the random polarization effects and mode coupling in long telecommunication fibers PMD-delay increases only with the square root of fiber length [4]. Consequently, as a fiber parameter the PMD-coefficient is defined as pmd divided by the square root of fiber length.…”

“…The DGD-values are assumed to be Maxwellian distributed [2][3][4]13]. By measuring the wavelength averaged DGDvalues of a fiber in a cable with the interferometric method the following questions are of interest.…”