Propagation of partially coherent light in liquid crystal fibers

Partially temporary coherent light might be depolarized during propagation in birefringent media. The depolarization depends on coherency of light source DL, birefringence of medium Dn, and azimuth of light beam versus fast and slow axes of medium birefringence (Ex/Ey). Depolarization is caused by polarization mode dispersion, also responsible for spreading light pulses and lowering bandwidth in binary transmission in optical fibers. The depolarization of temporal coherent light is also known in liquid crystals. In this paper we present the results of investigation on depolarization of light in optical fiber structures infiltrated with a liquid crystal.