This thesis concerns polarization mode dispersion (PMD) in optical
fiber communications. Specifically, we study fiber birefringence,
PMD stochastic properties, PMD mitigation and the interaction of
fiber birefringence and fiber nonlinearity.
Fiber birefringence is the physical origin of polarization mode
dispersion. Current models of birefringence in optical fibers assume
that the birefringence vector varies randomly either in orientation
with a fixed magnitude or simultaneously in both magnitude and
direction. These models are applicable only to certain birefringence
profiles. For a broader range of birefringence profiles, we propose
and investigate four general models in which the stochastically
varying amplitude is restricted to a limited range. In addition,
mathematical algorithms are introduced for the numerical
implementation of these models. To investigate polarization mode
dispersion, we first apply these models to single mode fibers. In
particular, two existing models and our four more general models are
employed for the evolution of optical fiber birefringence with
longitudinal distance to analyze, both theoretically and
numerically, the behavior of the polarization mode dispersion. We
find that while the probability distribution function of the
differential group delay (DGD) varies along the fiber length as in
existing models, the dependence of the mean DGD on fiber length
differs noticeably from earlier predictions.
Fiber spinning reduces polarization mode dispersion effects in
optical fibers. Since relatively few studies have been performed of
the dependence of the reduction factor on the strength of random
background birefringence fluctuations, we here apply a general
birefringence model to sinusoidal spun fibers. We find that while,
as expected, the phase matching condition is not affected by random
perturbations, the degree of PMD reduction as well as the
probability distribution function of the DGD are both influenced by
the random components of the birefringence. Together with other
researchers, I have also examined a series of experimentally
realizable procedures to compensate for PMD in optical fiber
systems. This work demonstrates that a symmetric ordering of
compensator elements combined with Taylor and Chebyshev
approximations to the transfer matrix for the light polarization in
optical fibers can significantly widen the compensation bandwidth.
In the last part of the thesis, we applied the Manakov-PMD equation
and a general model of fiber birefringence to investigate pulse
distortion induced by the interaction of fiber birefringence and
fiber nonlinearity. We find that the effect of nonlinearity on the
pulse distortion differs markedly with the birefringence profile.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:WATERLOO/oai:uwspace.uwaterloo.ca:10012/2647 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Huang, Weihong |
| Source Sets | University of Waterloo Electronic Theses Repository |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | 808042 bytes, application/pdf |
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