Analysis of strained plastic optical fibers

We found a permanent change in the mode coupling properties of plastic optical fibers (POFs), produced by extensive long-duration bending. In fact, these strained fibers show stronger mode coupling than unstrained fibers of the same types. Thus, we have investigated how propagation properties of POFs are altered after bending, finding an increase in attenuation for strained fibers. In addition, we found a bandwidth decrease for the strained fibers compared to the unstrained ones, more noticeable for fiber lengths shorter than 40 m.