Visibility properties of the interferometric optical fiber sensors using polarization scrambling

An interferometric optical fiber sensor relies on the coherent mixing of the optical signals, which is strongly polarization dependent. Random fluctuations in the input state of polarization and the polarization properties of the optical fiber sensor can result in the variation of the visibility and signal fading. Polarization scrambling is an important method to eliminate the input-polarization-induced fading. In this paper, the principles of the polarization scrambling are introduced. The influences of the perturbation to the input fiber and interferometer on the visibility are analyzed in two cases and the visibility properties in an interferometric optical fiber sensor are theoretically and experimentally demonstrated. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America