A comprehensive analysis of scattering in polymer optical fibers

The aim of this paper is to investigate the properties of the inhomogeneities that give rise to light scattering in polymer optical fibers (POFs). We perform several measurements in two commercial POFs of identical characteristics: these measurements, based on the side-illumination technique, consist in the detection of the total amount of scattered light guided along a POF sample under different launching conditions and in the acquisition of the corresponding near- and far-field patterns. We carry out complementary computer simulations considering inhomogeneities of different sizes at different positions inside the POF. The comparison of these simulated results with the experimental measurements will provide us with valuable information about the size and placement of the most influential inhomogeneities. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America