High-precision group-delay dispersion measurements of optical fibers via fingerprint-spectral wavelength-to-time mapping

The group-delay dispersion of an optical fiber was measured with the time-of-flight method, using fingerprint-like characteristic spectra from a mode-locked fiber laser source. To determine the group-delay dispersion up to the fourth order, least-squares fitting was applied to the overall time waveform mapped on the time axis for the fingerprint-spectral broadband pulses through a long optical fiber. The analysis of all 4003 data points reduced statistical uncertainty, and provided second-, third-, and fourth-order dispersion with uncertainties of 0.02%, 0.4%, and 4%,respectively.