Agilent Technologies 86038A User Manual page 300

Glossary Dispersion Terminology
Slope at Lambda Zero
The slope of the curve of dispersion versus wavelength at the zero
dispersion wavelength. This value is used by system designers to estimate
the dispersion at other wavelengths. See also "Zero Dispersion
Wavelength" .
Smoothing
Post-processing of the measurement trace data to remove higher-
frequency components such as noise. The 86038A ODA provides a default
set of smoothing functions and allows you to create and install new ones.
State of Polarization (SOP)
Describes the polarization state of the polarized portion of a lightwave
signal. See also "Degree of Polarization (DOP)" , "Poincare Sphere" , and
"Stokes Parameters" .
Stokes Parameters
A set of values describing the power (intensity) and polarization
characteristics of a lightwave. Stokes parameters can be used to describe
fully, partially, or unpolarized light.
Wavelength Resolution
See "Resolution'.
Wavelength Step
In the 86038A ODA operating in the Step mode, the separation between
adjacent test wavelengths. See also "Resolution" .
Waveplate
Birefringent device used as a phase shifter.
Zero Dispersion Wavelength
In optical fiber testing, a wavelength at which the group delay versus
wavelength curve has zero slope. See also "Slope at Lambda Zero" .
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Agilent 86038A Optical Dispersion Analyzer, Third Edition