Sensitivity enhancement of fiber optical polarimetric sensors using self-induced nonlinear phase modulation via the Kerr effect.

This work presents an analytical model accounting for the impact of optical polarization on the generation of frequency sidebands by the Kerr effect in a highly nonlinear fiber. Theoretical analysis shows that for a relative polarization angle, α, between two input lasers expressed on the Poincaré sphere, the optical power of the n order sideband is proportional to cos (α/2). This theoretical result enables a novel all-optical technique for interrogating changes in polarization with higher sensitivity than conventional measurement schemes using linear polarizers. The predicted theoretical relationship between the sideband power and the relative polarization angle is verified experimentally and sensitivity enhancement by a factor of 1.45 compared to a conventional polarimetric sensor is demonstrated for the 3rd order sideband. This novel nonlinear approach, which allows dynamic range to be traded for an enhanced ability to detect small polarization variations, has potential applications in fusion reactor monitoring, instrumentation and material characterization.