| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To easily connect polarization plane preserving optical fibers with each other in the open air with high accuracy, by making a circularly polarized wave incident from one end of one of the optical fiber and determining the direction, in which the maximum or minimum refractive index is obtained, from the scattered light radiated from the side of the optical fiber, and then, connecting the two optical fibers by making the direction of each fiber coincident with each other. CONSTITUTION:A clockwise circularly polarized wave 2 is made incident on a polarization plane preserving optical fiber 1 and intensity of scattered light radiated from the side of the optical fiber 1 in the directions normal to the optical axis is measured. When, for example, the intensity of the scattered light radiated from the direction C at the position at a distance L from the incident point is zero, the polarized wave in the fiber 1 is a linearly polarized wave and the direction of the wave surface is C. The direction of the maximum refractive index of the fiber 1 becomes the one which is turned counterclockwise by pi/4 radian from the direction C around the optical axis, when the incident point is viewed from the advancing direction of the light. Two fibers 1 and 1' are put together, with the direction of each fiber being made coincident with each other, and fixed to a table 3 with a keeping jig 4, and then, the end faces of both fibers 1 and 1' are heated and connected with each other by a discharge electrode 9. |
