A gain flattening filter includes a first optical fiber that has a core, a first cladding, and a second cladding and that has a uniform composition in a length direction; and a pair of second optical fibers fused to both ends of the first optical fiber. The first optical fiber has a first section in which a slanted refractive index grating is formed and a pair of second sections connecting both ends of the first section to the pair of second optical fibers. The first cladding contains a photosensitive material whose refractive index increases upon irradiation with light having a specific wavelength. In the core, a tensile stress remains in the first section. An average MFD of the second sections is larger than an average MFD of the second optical fibers and smaller than an average MFD of the first section.

An optical fiber includes a silica-based glass. The optical fiber includes a core, an optical cladding surrounding the core, and a physical cladding surrounding the optical cladding. The optical cladding includes a first region in contact with the core and surrounding the core. A photosensitive material is added to the core and the first region. A concentration of the photosensitive material in the first region is 30% or more of a concentration of the photosensitive material in the core. A value obtained by integrating a light intensity of an LP.sub.01 mode at a wavelength of 1310 nm in a region added with the photosensitive material is 87% or more of a value obtained by integrating the light intensity in an entire region of the optical fiber.

One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to an SFG (slanted fiber grating) that can easily realize a high-performance gain equalizer. The SFG includes an optical fiber comprised of silica-based glass and including a core, a first cladding containing a photosensitive material, and a second cladding. A specific section between two different points arranged along a fiber axis in the optical fiber is configured with a first region, a pair of second regions, and a third region. The first region includes a slanted Bragg grating provided in a region as the first cladding. The pair of second regions are arranged to sandwich the first region. The third region is disposed to sandwich both the first region and the pair of second regions. An MFD at a wavelength of 1.55 μm in the third region is smaller than an MFD at a wavelength of 1.55 μm in the first region.

One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to an SFG (slanted fiber grating) that can easily realize a high-performance gain equalizer. The SFG includes an optical fiber comprised of silica-based glass and including a core, a first cladding containing a photosensitive material, and a second cladding. A specific section between two different points arranged along a fiber axis in the optical fiber is configured with a first region, a pair of second regions, and a third region. The first region includes a slanted Bragg grating provided in a region as the first cladding. The pair of second regions are arranged to sandwich the first region. The third region is disposed to sandwich both the first region and the pair of second regions. An MFD at a wavelength of 1.55 μm in the third region is smaller than an MFD at a wavelength of 1.55 μm in the first region.

An apparatus for sensing a value of a property in a borehole having hydrogen gas penetrating a subsurface formation includes an optical fiber configured to be disposed in the borehole having the hydrogen gas and comprising a core having a fiber Bragg grating that is responsive to the value of the property and a cladding disposed about the core, wherein (i) the core is doped with a first dopant that is photo-sensitive for writing the fiber Bragg grating and that has a concentration in the core of 2 Mole % or less and (ii) the cladding is doped with a second dopant that lowers an index of refraction of the cladding.

An optical fiber according to an embodiment includes a core having a single-peaked and graded refractive index profile, an inner cladding surrounding the core, and an outer cladding surrounding the inner cladding. The inner and outer claddings have refractive indices lower than the maximum refractive index of the core. A photosensitive region constituted by the core and the inner cladding contains a photosensitive material. The inner cladding has an outer diameter one time or more and two times or less the MFD of an LP.sub.01 mode in a 1310-nm wavelength band.

An optical fiber according to an embodiment includes a core having a single-peaked and graded refractive index profile, an inner cladding surrounding the core, and an outer cladding surrounding the inner cladding. The inner and outer claddings have refractive indices lower than the maximum refractive index of the core. A photosensitive region constituted by the core and the inner cladding contains a photosensitive material. The inner cladding has an outer diameter one time or more and two times or less the MFD of an LP.sub.01 mode in a 1310-nm wavelength band.

The present disclosure relates to an optical fiber with shaped photosensitivity profile, comprising a nanostructured core composed of at least two types of glass rods, wherein at least one type of glass rods is doped with germanium. The invention relates also to a method for preparing an optical fiber with a core allowing for obtaining photoinduced refractive index modulation. Depending on their specific type, such optical fibers are applicable i.a. in laser generation and in amplification techniques (active optical fibers) and/or in optical fiber sensors and telecommunications applications (passive optical fibers).