Mitigation of Micro and Macro Bends for Improved Bandwidth in Fiber Optics Communication

Abstract

The importance of bending loss of polarization maintaining optical fiber can never be over emphasized in optical systems and active organised communication. To attain a polarized state of a wave that is confined to a certain plane moving at a direction of propagation, an internal stress introduced by an elliptic cladding generates a polarization and propagation characteristics that determine the refractive index that is brought about by stress. To simulate and obtain the bending loss of the PM fiber, two different models were adopted. Model 1 involved carrying out a simulation process to determine the losses caused by bending within the PM fiber, this model did not consider the photo-elastic effect of the bending. Model 2 handled the possible change of refractive index occasioned by bending stress. Interestingly, the results obtained from the experiment was in corresponding pattern with what was obtained in Model 1 and Model 2 of the waveguide. In order to derive a standard variation that occur between two different cases of bending with distinct far reaching orientation, then the results obtained from the simulation and experiment only disagreed by a factor of 2 or 3 while considering small radii of curvature. 0.76 was obtained from the experiment and 0.28 was obtained from the simulation, all from a radius of 3.5mm. From observation, it became obvious that repeated order of bending loss of the PM fiber confirmed that the fashion through which bending losses occur within the PM fiber were minimal when the polarization is pointed along the major axis within the elliptical cladding and in the same direction with the plain of curvature. The bending loss obtained from the polarization of the propagating wave and radius of curvature are not disregarded and must be on the same direction of polarization.