Introduction

Intent

This test method describes a procedure for measuring the polarization-mode dispersion (PMD) of single-mode optical fibers. It produces a single measurement value that represents the PMD over the measurement wavelength range of typically a few hundred nanometers. The method can be applied to both short and long fibers in the limits of both zero and strong polarization mode coupling. Under some circumstances, repeated measurements are necessary to achieve satisfactory precision using this FOTP - see Annex A.

The procedure is restricted to wavelengths greater than or equal to that at which the fiber is effectively single-mode.