Theoretical and experimental analysis of thermal stress effects on modal polarization properties of highly birefringent optical fibers

A theoretical and experimental analysis of thermal stress effects on the modal polarization properties of highly elliptical-core fibers is presented. The theoretical analysis is based on solving the vectorial Maxwell's equations, using a finite-element scheme, when form-induced and stress-induced effects are introduced simultaneously through appropriate calculation of the refractive indexes of the anisotropic media. The experimental analysis is done by studying the temperature response of a white-light interferometric sensor employing highly elliptical-core fibers. The calculated temperature sensitivities of the modal birefringence and the polarization mode dispersion in highly elliptical-core fiber are in close agreement with the experimental results. Interpretation of the results useful for designing white-light interferometric sensors composed of highly elliptical-core fibers is also given.