Comparative study of interferometric and noninterferometric measurement schemes for fiber nonlinear coefficient measurement

This paper describes recent progress in measuring single mode optical fiber nonlinear coefficient. A brief description of interferometric and noninterferometric techniques is included as a basis for comparing their relative performance and limitations. All of reviewed measurement techniques use one of the Kerr-related phenomena which are self-phase modulation, modulation instability, cross-phase modulation or four-wave mixing. This paper focuses on the comparison of different interferometric and noninterferometric measurement schemes in terms of their construction set-up simplicity, equipment cost, measurement time and field usage. Versatility of testing the various types and lengths of fibers is also an important addressed issue.