Measurements of polarisation mode dispersion by optical heterodyne detection

Abstract

Polarisation mode dispersion measurements based on optical heterodyne detection are demonstrated. Using the detection technique, length dependence of group delay difference between two orthogonally polarised HE11 modes in an elliptical-core fibre was measured at a wavelength of 1.3 μm. The modal dispersion was found to depend linearly on length in the range of 0–500 m for a fibre with modal birefringence of 1.5×10−5.