Polarization-heterodyne measurement of Kerr coefficient in optical fibers

Summary form only given. Several measurement methods of nonlinear optical Kerr coefficient n/sub 2/ in optical fibers have recently been proposed, bringing into evidence the different contributions of the electronic and electrostrictive parts, respectively n/sub 2k/ and n/sub 2e/, where electrostriction plays an important role at optical modulation frequency lower than 1.5 GHz, and is intrinsically isotropic. We present a novel polarimetric technique based on cross-phase modulation (XPM), the high sensitivity of which permits the characterization of even short fiber samples and the consequent direct extraction of the n/sub 2K/ coefficient.