Analysis of absorbing and leaky planar waveguides: a novel method.

We present a simple and general approach for analysis of absorbing and leaky waveguides. The real and imaginary parts of the propagation constant beta of a planar optical waveguide are obtained by evaluating a function, defined through the eigenvalue equation, in real beta. The applicability of the method is demonstrated for simple structures. To apply the method for arbitrarily graded inhomogeneous or multilayered structures we use a simple matrix approach to obtain the eigenvalue equation. The method is straightforward, accurate, and requires no iteration in the complex beta plane.

Beat-length measurement of birefringent optical fibers.

We present a novel technique for the measurement of the beat length of birefringent single-mode fibers based on differential attenuation induced by a metal. The proposed technique is particularly suited for the measurement of local birefringence in polished-fiber semiplates. The technique should also find application in the characterization of polished fiber semiplates used in the fabrication of fiber directional couplers.