Real-time measurements of polarization fluctuations in an optical fiber submarine cable in a deep-sea trial using electrooptic LiNbO/sub 3/ device

An investigation of real-time polarization fluctuation measurements in an optical fiber submarine cable during laying and recovery in a 6000-m deep-sea trial is presented. State of polarization (SOP) variation measurements in real time are achieved by the Stokes parameter analyzer using an electrooptic LiNbO/sub 3/ device. It is found that the SOP variations of the cable laying change randomly, while those of the cable recovery change uniformly. The maximum power spectra of the polarization fluctuations during cable installation are found experimentally to be less than about 50 Hz.<
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