Comparative measurement of Rayleigh scattering in single-mode optical fibers based on an OTDR technique

Abstract

A technique for comparing the Rayleigh scattering coefficients of single-mode step index fibers is described, and its theoretical limitations are discussed. The validity of the technique is proved using telecommunications-grade fibers. Of particular interest is the variation of scatter found with increasing core index. In addition, the influence of small (<0.1%) quantities of rare-earth dopant ions on the fiber scatter losses is analyzed for the first time.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>