Analysis of the influence of opto-electro-mechanical devices on the measurement accuracy of a distributed polarization detection system

White light interferometry has been used to measure the distributed polarization coupling in high birefringence fibers. Detailed theoretical analysis of the measurement accuracy of the testing system is presented. The main part is a Michelson interferometer with a scanning arm driven by a stepping motor. The minimum polarization coupling intensity detectable by this system is -77 dB. The maximum fiber length that can be tested under this design is more than 1 km, and the spatial resolution is better than 50 mm. The influence of the opto-electro-mechanical devices on measurement accuracy is analyzed in order to improve the performance-to-cost ratio. This testing system can also be used in coherence division multiplexing optical fiber sensors.