Estimation of linear birefringence suppression in spun fiber using polarimetric optical time-domain reflectometry

Summary form only given. The recent commercial availability of spun fibers has enabled a significant reduction in the polarization-mode dispersion of newly deployed systems. These spun fibers are produced by applying a sinusoidal torque to the fiber being drawn, alternatively in the clockwise and counterclockwise direction. Previously, it was shown how the differential group delay (DGD) of spun fiber and the evolution of the forward state of polarization (SOP) are determined by the initial linear birefringence, the amplitude and spatial period of the applied spin, and the magnitude of any externally applied elastic twist. We have extended this analysis to include the backscattered SOP evolution both with and without external twist. In this paper, we show how polarimetric optical time-domain reflectometry can be used to measure the extent to which the linear birefringence has been suppressed in a fiber by the spinning process and predict the DGD of the spun fiber.