Broad-band concatenated-section PMD emulator design for low interchannel correlation

The coarsely discrete structure of polarization-mode dispersion (PMD) emulators can artificially correlate the PMD affecting different wavelength-division-multiplexed channels. We present a model that predicts the background autocorrelation of concatenated-section emulators with independently rotatable elements, and show how emulators with low interchannel correlation can be designed.