Time-resolved acousto-optic interaction in single-mode optical fibers: characterization of axial nonuniformities at the nanometer scale

We report on a time-resolved acousto-optic interaction technique for the detection of axial nonuniformities in single-mode fibers. It is based on the propagation of short packets of flexural acoustic waves. Small axial nonuniformities (of the order of nanometers) are detected by measuring the transmittance of the fundamental mode as a function of time. It is shown that the technique allows the detection of axial nonuniformities along sections of single-mode fiber exceeding 1 m long with spatial resolution of the order of a few centimeters. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America