Optical fiber transmission quality can now be tested without the need to take measurements at both ends
Friday, August 19, 2011 - 07:00
in Physics & Chemistry
Light traveling in an optical fiber loses power over distance. A number of factors are responsible for this power loss, but one that is particularly important at high data rates is the loss that occurs due to changes in light polarization. Hui Dong at the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research and co-workers1 have developed and tested a method of determining this polarization-dependent loss (PDL) in an optical fiber cable by taking measurements from just one end of the fiber. The new technique avoids the difficulty of having to arrange and coordinate access to both ends of a fiber optic cable, which may be tens of kilometers apart.