Macrobending loss measurements of G.657 fiber with suppression of ripple effect induced by whispering gallery modes

Abstract

During the macrobending loss performance tests of ITU-T G.657 fiber under small bending radius, the test results show big differencesin many tests for the same test samples and conditions. Research shows that the main reason for the difference is Whispering gallery modes phenomenon in small bending radius [1]. The inappropriate test conditions can affect the accuracy of macrobending loss test results. In the test of product validation and field application, single wavelength light source and optical power meter were often used. How to judge whether there is effect existing and how to remove the Whispering gallery modes influence in the testing process has become the key to correctly test macrobending loss by light source and optical power meter. This paper introduces the method of eliminating Whispering gallery modes effect during the macrobending test under small bending radius by single wavelength light source and optical power meter.