Rapid mapping of transverse stresses along a highly birefringent optical fiber

A new arrangement is described for mapping transverse stress regions along a highly- birefringent fiber, using the optical Kerr effect in a pump-probe system. This arrangement provides a passively-biased detection system immune from thermal variations in sensitivity and, in principle, enables information to be extracted with only one laser pulse. It also enables real time location of transverse stress points which are moving along the fiber. As the laser sources employed are very compact, this system is potentially easily portable.