PURPOSE: To offer the method and device for measuring the dispersion of a polarized wave easily with high precision by using a light source with short coherent length and detecting difference in propagation speed due to the polarization dispersion in a polarized wave holding optical fiber to be measured through a Michelson interferometer as the movement extent of a reflecting mirror.
CONSTITUTION: Light from a semiconductor laser 1 is admitted in the polarized wave holding optical fiber 6 to be measured and waves in two orthogonal modes of the polarized wave holding optical fiber, i.e. modes H11X and HE11 are excited almost to the same intensity and multiplexed at the projection terminal of the fiber 6 to obtain linear polarized light, which is split by a half-mirror 9 in two orthogonal directions, reflected totally by reflecting mirrors 10 and 11 respectively, and multiplexed by the half-mirror 9 again. One of the reflecting mirrors 10 and 11, i.e. 11 is moved and the polarized wave dispersion of the optical fiber 6 is calculated from the distance between two positions of the reflecting mirrors which cause interference.
NODA JIYUICHI
SASAKI YUTAKA
