Polarizer requirements for fiber gyroscopes with high-birefringence fiber and broad-band sources

Polarizer requirements for fiber-optic gyroscopes with high-birefringence fiber and broad-band sources are investigated theoretically by employing a model with a single coupling center between polarization modes. The phase bias offset due to a finite polarizer extinction ratio is greatly reduced by incoherent effects, and may be further reduced by using a depolarized source or by appropriate orientation of the polarizer transmission axis. Some experimental data is presented which supports the theoretical model.