Understanding The Attributes Being Measured; Gain/Loss; Phase - Agilent Technologies 86038B User Manual

Understanding the Attributes Being Measured

Gain/Loss

Agilent 86038B Photonic Dispersion and Loss Analyzer, Second Edition
The 86038B allows you to measure the following attributes:

• Gain/Loss

• Group Delay (GD)
• Chromatic Dispersion (CD)
• Optical Phase
• Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) including 2nd - order
PMD
• Differential Group Delay (DGD)
• Polarization Dependant Loss (PDL)
• Length
This section will define each of these measurement attributes
and provide some information of the mechanism that produce
the effects.
Insertion Loss
Insertion loss is a measure of the attenuation of the optical
signal level between the input and output of a device. It is
defined as 10 log (power in/power out) and is always a positive
number for devices without gain. The mechanisms that produce
insertion loss include simple absorptive effects as well as
scattering and reflective effects.
In long fibers, the insertion loss scales with the fiber length.
Then the parameter Attenuation Coefficient is useful, which is
the insertion loss divided by the fiber length, usually expressed
in units of dB/km.
Tips on Measuring Insertion Loss (IL) For the most accurate IL
measurements, the PDL should be measured at the same time to
average the polarization dependence out of the IL result. A 30
Hz IF bandwidth can be used to minimize noise. Refer to
"CD/PMD" on page 104
108.
and to "Sensitivity/Resolution" on page
51