Accurate Characterization of Twist-Induced Optical Activity in Single-Mode Fibers by Means of Polarization-Sensitive Reflectometry

The stress-optic rotation coefficient g, describing the twist-induced optical activity in single-mode optical fibers, has been accurately measured by means of polarization-sensitive frequency domain reflectometry. Measurements have been performed on both spun and unspun fibers and the measured values of g vary between 0.14 and 0.15, with an uncertainty of less than 4%.