International study reveals exceptional property of next generation optical fibers

EurekAlert  February 15, 2021
The elastic backscattering of light in optical fiber is a fundamental phenomenon that sets the ultimate performance of several fiber systems such as gyroscopes and bidirectional transfer links. Until now, efforts to reduce the backscattering coefficient have yielded limited results. An international team of researchers (Canada, UK) measured backscattering from a low-loss antiresonant hollow-core fiber and showed that it is more than 40 dB below reported values in silica-core fiber and hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber. The record-low level of −118dB/m measured with their optical frequency-domain reflectometer is in good agreement with simulations in which they assumed the scattering to originate from the intrinsic surface roughness. The demonstration shows that a tailored instrument can localize and quantify weak faults within a hollow-core fiber, enabling its detailed characterization. Research into improved optical fibres is key to enable progress in numerous photonic applications and improve internet performance that heavily relies on optical fibres for data transmission where current technology is starting to reach its limits…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Layout of the coherent OFDR operating at 1539.8 nm. EDFA, erbium-doped fiber amplifier… Credit: Optica Vol. 8, Issue 2, pp. 216-219 (2021)

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