Measurement of refractive-index profile and transmission characteristics of a single-mode optical fiber from its exit-radiation pattern

Abstract

A new exit-radiation pattern method for measuring the refractive-index profile of a single-mode fiber is proposed and used experimentally. In this method the profile is computed from the far-field exit-radiation pattern of the HE₁₁ mode at the end of the single-mode fiber. This method can be applied to a cabled fiber, and the propagation constant, field profile, and group delay of the HE₁₁ mode, and the single-mode limit can be obtained as well as the index profile. The principle, computer simulations, experimental setup, and experimental results are first described. The profile obtained shows a good agreement with that obtained from the interference fringe pattern measured before drawing the fiber. Computations of the group delay of the HE₁₁ mode and the single-mode limit from the measured exit-radiation pattern are discussed.