All-optical polarimeter for laser Stokes vector measurement using self-induced nonlinear phase modulation

Abstract

This paper utilizes an analytical model of polarization dependent frequency sideband generation via the Kerr effect in a highly nonlinear fiber to determine the state of polarization (SOP) of a laser by all-optical means. Theoretical analysis shows that the power of the n th order sideband generated by the propagation of two lasers with distinct frequencies in the nonlinear medium is proportional to cos 2n(α/2), where α is the angle between the normalized Stokes vectors representing the SOPs of the lasers on the Poincaré sphere. By tailoring the SOP of one laser acting as a reference and experimentally measuring the power of the first order sideband, the SOP of the laser under test is recovered with an error smaller than 10.22° on the Poincaré sphere corresponding to 0.8% the sphere’s total area. Comparing the SOPs of two lasers without referencing them to fixed polarizers enables potential applications in remote environmental sensing, novel polarization division multiplexing schemes for enhanced telecommunication data rates, and scientific instrumentation.