Analysis of changes in optical fibers during arc-fusion splicing by use of quantitative phase imaging.
A non-interferometric imaging technique in conjunction with Abel inversion is used to directly and quantitatively examine the changes in optical fibers due to the heating produced during arc-fusion splicing as a function of fusion arc parameters. Phase images in the vicinity of a fusion splice are obtained using Quantitative Phase Microscopy, allowing the refractive-index change to be reconstructed with high spatial resolution. This simple, nondestructive method confirms that, for a fixed arc current, while the fusion time increases, the refractive-index of both fiber cores within the fusion region decreases in magnitude, the core region broadens, and the axial gradient decreases.
Dragomir
N M
NM
School of Physics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. n.dragomir@physics.unimelb.edu.au
Ampen-Lassen
E
E
Baxter
G W
GW
Pace
P
P
Huntington
S T
ST
Farrell
P M
PM
Stevenson
A J
AJ
Roberts
A
A