Novel time-of-flight fiber dispersion measurement technique using supercontinuum light sources and acousto-optical tunable filters.

Long-distance fiber links require precise knowledge of fiber dispersion characteristics. Similar dispersion characteristics are necessary for supercontinuum broadband laser absorption spectroscopy (SCLAS) to allow proper data evaluation and species concentration determination, as well as numerous other applications. In this work, a time-of-flight approach to measuring the dispersion characteristic of fibers with supercontinuum laser light sources (SCLs) and acousto-optical tunable filters (AOTFs) is presented. Broadband emission of the SCL is filtered with a narrowband AOTF and dispersed in time by the fiber under test. By using the wavelength-specific delay, the dispersion characteristic can be calculated. The technique is especially suited for longer fibers and was verified against a state-of-the-art phase-shift-based dispersion measurement system. Advantages of the new approach include solely utilizing SCLAS system components, as well as a high level of automation and wide spectral coverage, ranging from 1100 to 1700 nm in a single measurement setup.