New transverse techniques for characterizing high-power optical fibers

Novel transverse techniques for measuring the refractive index profile and spontaneous emission of high-power optical fibers are described. These techniques are particularly attractive for measuring fiber samples incorporating axial variations, such as mode transformers, gratings, fusion splices, tapers, taps, or couplers. Computerized tomography of spontaneous emission is demonstrated as the first nondestructive method for estimating the spatial distribution of gain in a rare earth-doped fiber, which can be particularly useful when exploiting a spatially inhomogeneous dopant profile.

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