Title :
Photon-counting OTDR for local birefringence and fault analysis in the metro environment
Author :
Wegmuller, M. ; Scholder, F. ; Gisin, N.
Author_Institution :
Group of Appl. Phys., Univ. of Geneva, Switzerland
Abstract :
Optical time domain reflectometery (OTDR) is one of the most used measurement techniques in the characterization of optical fiber links. In this paper, we present a thorough investigation of an OTDR using a Peltier cooled photon-counting detector at 1.55 um. Due to its superior spatial resolution and the absence of classical dead-zones, it is well suited for detailed, high resolution analysis of problem zones. We give a detailed analysis of its performance, and also demonstrate that a polarization-sensitive photon-counting OTDR can be used to extract local birefringences too large to be measured with standard P-OTDRs.
Keywords :
birefringence; metropolitan area networks; optical fibre LAN; optical fibre testing; optical links; optical time-domain reflectometry; photodetectors; photon counting; 1.55 mum; OTDR; Peltier cooled photon-counting detector; classical dead-zones; distributed detection; fault analysis; high-resolution analysis; local birefringence analysis; metrology; optical fiber links; optical time domain reflectometry; polarization-sensitive backscattering technique; spatial resolution; Avalanche photodiodes; Birefringence; Detectors; Dynamic range; Optical fiber polarization; Optical fibers; Optical sensors; Reflectometry; Spatial resolution; Time domain analysis;
Journal_Title :
Lightwave Technology, Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JLT.2004.824355
