Polarization dependence of the nonlinear interaction between sinusoidally modulated optical signals in a randomly birefringent optical fiber.

Abstract

In this paper, polarization dependence of the nonlinear interaction between two sinusoidally modulated optical signals (SMOSs) in a randomly birefringent silica optical fiber is investigated analytically and experimentally. Vector analysis is performed on the nonlinear interaction between two orthogonally polarized or co-polarized SMOSs carried by identical or different laser wavelengths in a randomly birefringent silica optical fiber. Dependence of the nonlinear interaction on the polarization states of two SMOSs is investigated by analyzing the power of the first-order sideband as a result of the nonlinear interaction. The presented theoretical study reveals the polarization dependence of the nonlinear interaction between two SMOSs as confirmed by the close agreement between theoretical and experimental results. This study provides insight into the polarization dependence of operation of a Kerr phase interrogator and the tools for optimizing the performance of sensing devices based on a Kerr phase interrogator.