Raman gain efficiency distribution measurement in single-mode optical fibers by using backscattering technique

This letter proposes a new method for measuring a longitudinal distribution of the Raman gain efficiency in concatenations of single-mode optical fibers by using a backscattering technique and a pulsed pump light. The advantages of this method is that it can provide us with an easy operation for measuring optical fiber networks because all the measurement instruments are installed together at one end of the concatenation of optical fibers, and that it also provides a high resolution of the measurement according to the pump pulsewidth. We perform an experiment employing this method and confirm that it can be used to measure Raman gain efficiency distribution easily.