In-line high-speed all-fiber polarimeter with true real-time acquisition for sensor systems based on fast polarization rotation

We report on an all fiber polarimetric optical detector system suitable for sensor applications that rely on fast polarization measurements. Our device exhibits an RF bandwidth of 500 MHz and an optical calibration bandwidth of over 30nm in the S-C-L-bands (1460-1625 nm) and above, with minimal PMD, PDL, and return loss when used in-line. A set of automated self-calibration procedures ensure high accuracy without the need for external polarization optics or reference polarimeters. We integrated our polarimeter into an acquisition systems capable of measuring fast polarization rotation events over long period of time with 250 MS/s peak sampling rate.