Novel Model for the Angle and Skewness Dependent Transmission Behavior of Step-Index Polymer Optical Fiber

Step-index polymer optical fibers (SI-POFs) are deployed in both sensing and data transmission systems. The optical transmission behavior of these fibers is complex and affected by intrinsic influences like modal dispersion, scattering and attenuation as well as extrinsic influences like the launchi...

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Main Authors: Thomas Becker, Rainer Engelbrecht, Bernhard Schmauss
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-09-01
Series:Fibers
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2079-6439/6/3/65
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spelling doaj-e41ffd381233434ab40c93b370c234f22020-11-25T00:41:53ZengMDPI AGFibers2079-64392018-09-01636510.3390/fib6030065fib6030065Novel Model for the Angle and Skewness Dependent Transmission Behavior of Step-Index Polymer Optical FiberThomas Becker0Rainer Engelbrecht1Bernhard Schmauss2Polymer Optical Fiber Application Center, Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm, Wassertorstraße 10, 90489 Nürnberg, GermanyPolymer Optical Fiber Application Center, Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm, Wassertorstraße 10, 90489 Nürnberg, GermanyInstitute of Microwaves and Photonics (LHFT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Wetterkreuz 15, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyStep-index polymer optical fibers (SI-POFs) are deployed in both sensing and data transmission systems. The optical transmission behavior of these fibers is complex and affected by intrinsic influences like modal dispersion, scattering and attenuation as well as extrinsic influences like the launching condition and the angular sensitivity of the receiver. Since a proper modeling of the transmission behavior is important in order to evaluate the suitability of the fiber for a specific application, we present a novel model for step-index multi-mode fibers (SI-MMFs) which considers all the previously mentioned impacts. Furthermore, the model differentiates scattering and attenuation for propagating rays not only by their propagating angle θ z but also by the skewness θ ϕ . It is therefore possible to distinguish between guided, tunneling and refracted modes. The model uses scatter and attenuation data from previously published measurements of an SI-POF and computes the impulse response of the transmission system which is transferred to the frequency domain to derive the amplitude and phase response. A possible application for SI-POF is the length or strain measurement of the fiber by measuring the phase of a harmonically modulated signal. These sensors rely on a linear relation between the length of the fiber and the phase of the modulated signal. We demonstrate the application of the model by simulating the length measurement error that occurs for these sensors by obtaining the phase response for the corresponding optical transmission system. Furthermore, we will demonstrate the flexibility of the model by varying several influences including the excitation of different mode categories and evaluate the impact on the measurement error. Finally, we compare the simulated length error derived from the model to real data obtained from a cutback measurement. An implementation of the model, which was used for all simulations in this paper, is publicly available.http://www.mdpi.com/2079-6439/6/3/65fiber modelingSI-POFSI-MMFphase responsescatteringskewnessimpulse response
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Thomas Becker
Rainer Engelbrecht
Bernhard Schmauss
spellingShingle Thomas Becker
Rainer Engelbrecht
Bernhard Schmauss
Novel Model for the Angle and Skewness Dependent Transmission Behavior of Step-Index Polymer Optical Fiber
Fibers
fiber modeling
SI-POF
SI-MMF
phase response
scattering
skewness
impulse response
author_facet Thomas Becker
Rainer Engelbrecht
Bernhard Schmauss
author_sort Thomas Becker
title Novel Model for the Angle and Skewness Dependent Transmission Behavior of Step-Index Polymer Optical Fiber
title_short Novel Model for the Angle and Skewness Dependent Transmission Behavior of Step-Index Polymer Optical Fiber
title_full Novel Model for the Angle and Skewness Dependent Transmission Behavior of Step-Index Polymer Optical Fiber
title_fullStr Novel Model for the Angle and Skewness Dependent Transmission Behavior of Step-Index Polymer Optical Fiber
title_full_unstemmed Novel Model for the Angle and Skewness Dependent Transmission Behavior of Step-Index Polymer Optical Fiber
title_sort novel model for the angle and skewness dependent transmission behavior of step-index polymer optical fiber
publisher MDPI AG
series Fibers
issn 2079-6439
publishDate 2018-09-01
description Step-index polymer optical fibers (SI-POFs) are deployed in both sensing and data transmission systems. The optical transmission behavior of these fibers is complex and affected by intrinsic influences like modal dispersion, scattering and attenuation as well as extrinsic influences like the launching condition and the angular sensitivity of the receiver. Since a proper modeling of the transmission behavior is important in order to evaluate the suitability of the fiber for a specific application, we present a novel model for step-index multi-mode fibers (SI-MMFs) which considers all the previously mentioned impacts. Furthermore, the model differentiates scattering and attenuation for propagating rays not only by their propagating angle θ z but also by the skewness θ ϕ . It is therefore possible to distinguish between guided, tunneling and refracted modes. The model uses scatter and attenuation data from previously published measurements of an SI-POF and computes the impulse response of the transmission system which is transferred to the frequency domain to derive the amplitude and phase response. A possible application for SI-POF is the length or strain measurement of the fiber by measuring the phase of a harmonically modulated signal. These sensors rely on a linear relation between the length of the fiber and the phase of the modulated signal. We demonstrate the application of the model by simulating the length measurement error that occurs for these sensors by obtaining the phase response for the corresponding optical transmission system. Furthermore, we will demonstrate the flexibility of the model by varying several influences including the excitation of different mode categories and evaluate the impact on the measurement error. Finally, we compare the simulated length error derived from the model to real data obtained from a cutback measurement. An implementation of the model, which was used for all simulations in this paper, is publicly available.
topic fiber modeling
SI-POF
SI-MMF
phase response
scattering
skewness
impulse response
url http://www.mdpi.com/2079-6439/6/3/65
work_keys_str_mv AT thomasbecker novelmodelfortheangleandskewnessdependenttransmissionbehaviorofstepindexpolymeropticalfiber
AT rainerengelbrecht novelmodelfortheangleandskewnessdependenttransmissionbehaviorofstepindexpolymeropticalfiber
AT bernhardschmauss novelmodelfortheangleandskewnessdependenttransmissionbehaviorofstepindexpolymeropticalfiber
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