Interferometric measurement of dispersion in optical components

The development of high-quality tunable lasers and very bright, incoherent sources has made high-quality interferometric measurements available to the optical telecommunications industry. These measurements have advantages at the fundamental level because they allow linear-systems concepts and analysis to be applied to optical fiber systems. In particular, phase characteristics that have been previously measured as derivatives can be acquired directly, allowing more consistent evaluation and qualification of optical components for high-bit-rate systems.