Polarization dispersion and principal states in a 147-km undersea lightwave cable

The authors describe measurements of polarization dispersion in a 147-km undersea lightwave cable at 1.56 mu m. The wavelength dependence of the transmitted state of polarization was measured and interpreted in terms of the principal states description of polarization dispersion to determine the difference in the propagation delay time between the two principal states of polarization. Measured differential propagation delay times ranged between 2.5 and 10 ps among the four fibers tested. Significant wavelength dependence in both the principal states and the propagation delay times was observed over a 12-AA interval.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>