A broad-band single polarization optical fiber

The authors report on a single-mode optical fiber that transmits one and only one polarization state of the fundamental mode over a broad wavelength band (13%). The good broadband performance is attributed to the fiber's refractive-index profile, which mathematically allows only one polarization state to cutoff. The authors discuss general design principles and show that the mode field diameter is a qualitative indicator of the fiber's performance. The fiber's guided polarization state is similar to the fundamental mode of a step-index fiber in its low attenuation, 5.5 dB/km, and small mode diameter, 5.8 mu m (both measurements at 840 nm). Most important, the fiber shows a broad single polarization band, 13%, a feature well described by the change in mode field diameter with wavelength of an ideal, circularly symmetry, W-profile fiber.< >