Disclosed herein an apparatus and method for estimating a phase retarder and method of manufacturing the phase retarder using the same. The apparatus includes: a polarization element configured to output an incident light as a linear polarization and to make the linear polarization incident onto a phase retarder to be tested; a polarization image acquisition module equipped with a plurality of polarized pixels receiving an emitting light that is output from the phase retarder, on which the linear polarization is incident, and configured to obtain a polarization image based on the emitting light that is modulated in the polarized pixels; and a processor configured to evaluate quality of the phase retarder based on uniformity of a brightness value between polarized pixels of the polarization image. The polarized pixels modulate the emitting light based on a plurality of transmission angles and detects the modulated emitting light.

A method of making an optical fiber sensor device for distributed sensing includes generating a laser beam comprising a plurality of ultrafast pulses, and focusing the laser beam into a core of an optical fiber to form a nanograting structure within the core, wherein the nanograting structure includes a plurality of spaced nanograting elements each extending substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of optical fiber. Also, an optical fiber sensor device for distributed sensing includes an optical fiber having a longitudinal axis, a core, and a nanograting structure within the core, wherein the nanograting structure includes a plurality of spaced nanograting elements each extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the optical fiber. Also, a distributed sensing method and system and an energy production system that employs such an optical fiber sensor device.

In an inspection support device that organizes a captured image including damage to a structure and includes a processor, the processor acquires image data including information regarding a structural drawing of a target structure on a medium, and damage identification information regarding the damage and captured image identification information regarding the captured image of the target structure having the damage that are added by a user on the medium, recognizes the damage identification information through image recognition from the image data, recognizes the captured image identification information through image recognition from the image data, associates the damage identification information corresponding to a predetermined damage and the captured image identification information for the target structure having the predetermined damage, acquires the captured image corresponding to the captured image identification information, and associates the damage identification information and the captured image with each other.

A test instrument tests an optical component of a fiber optic network. The test instrument determines signal parameters describing pulses to be emitted by lasers of the test instrument to test the optical component, and directly modulates the lasers to repeatedly emit the pulses at different wavelengths on a single fiber optic cable in a time division multiplexing manner. The test instrument triggers powering measurements to coincide with the emitted pulses, and determines performance parameters of the optical component based on the triggered power measurements.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an improved method of determining splice losses of mechanically terminated optical connectors in the field, without the need of terminating both sides of the fiber link. Embodiments of the present invention also provide means for improving the quality of mechanical splices as utilized in pre-polished fiber optic connectors for terminating single-mode and multimode optical fibers in the field.

An optical pulse test apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a light generation unit configured to generate an optical pulse for generating backscattered light beams in an optical fiber under test and generate first light having an optical frequency for amplifying backscattered light in an LP11 mode out of the backscattered light beams in two LP modes through stimulated Brillouin scattering, and second light having an optical frequency for attenuating backscattered light in an LP01 mode out of the backscattered light beams in the two LP modes through stimulated Brillouin scattering, a mode demultiplexing unit configured to input the optical pulse, the first light, and the second light generated by the light generation unit into the optical fiber under test in the LP01 mode and separate, out of the backscattered light beams generated by the optical pulse, the backscattered light in the LP11 mode, a local oscillation light generation unit configured to generate local oscillation light by which the backscattered light separated by the mode demultiplexing unit is heterodyne-detected, a light reception unit configured to multiplex the backscattered light in the LP11 mode separated by the mode demultiplexing unit and the local oscillation light generated by the local oscillation light generation unit and photoelectrically convert the multiplexed light into an electrical signal, and an arithmetic processing unit configured to calculate a time-intensity distribution of the electrical signal obtained by the light reception unit photoelectrically converting the backscattered light in the LP11 mode.

An optical device cut from a wafer into a chip by dicing, on the wafer, the optical device includes a plurality of optical waveguides; an optical circuit connected to the optical waveguide; and of the plurality of optical waveguides, a testing optical waveguide that guides test light to the optical circuit to be tested, by bypassing a non-connected optical waveguide portion at a terrace for mounting an optical chip component.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining distinct timing offsets between an input port and output ports of a multiport optical device. An optical signal is injected at an input port of the device to obtain output signals at the output ports, which are injected into downstream fibers. An optical multipath return signal is received via the input port of the device, including a combination of measured events including reflections, backscatter, or both. A number of similar events expected in the number of downstream optical fibers is calculated to obtain an expected multipath signature based on configuration data. Results of the optical multipath return signal are then compared to the expected multipath signature to obtain comparison results. One of the measured events is distinguished from the others based on the first comparison results and the distinct timing offsets. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A processing device disposed inside a transmitter/receiver intended for use in optical fiber sensing using an optical fiber in order to enable restricting utilization of a prescribed range of acquired data, the processing device comprising: a mask unit which masks a prescribed range of acquired data, which is the data acquired by the transmitter/receiver through the optical fiber sensing; and an output unit which outputs post-masking data, which is the data that has undergone the aforementioned masking, to the outside of the transmitter/receiver, wherein the acquired data prior having the masking performed thereon for the prescribed range is not outputted to the outside.

Systems and methods include a method for overcoming optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) dead zone limitations by using a few-mode fiber (FMF). Optical pulses are transmitted by a transmitter of an OTDR system through a mode MUX/DEMUX into an FMF. Light signals directed by the FMF in a backward direction through the mode MUX/DEMUX are received by the OTDR system through N single-mode fiber (SMF) ports corresponding to N modes in the FMF. Light signals from N−1 dead-zone-free SMF ports are collected by the OTDR system. Losses are measured and faults are located in the FMF based at least on the light signals.