Methods and systems for characterization of polarization-dependent loss or gain in optical links and components

A system for characterizing a polarization-dependent loss or gain (PDL/G) of an optical device under test (DUT) from an optical signal having passed through the optical DUT, wherein the optical signal is substantially unpolarized upon entering the optical DUT, the system comprising:

• a polarization controller configured to receive the optical signal from the optical DUT and vary a state of polarization (SOP) of the optical signal over a plurality of sampled SOP conditions to produce a respective plurality of SOP-varied optical signals;
• a polarization-analysis and detection apparatus configured to acquire, from the plurality of SOP-varied optical signals, a respective plurality of detected signal sets, each detected signal set comprising at least one polarization-analyzed detected signal;
• and
• a computer device operatively coupled to the polarization-analysis and detection apparatus, the computer device comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine, as the PDL/G of the optical DUT, a polarization extinction ratio (PER) parameter representative of a ratio of maximum to minimum optical power levels measured among the polarization-analyzed detected signals of the plurality of detected signal sets.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of characterizing a polarization-dependent loss or gain (PDL/G) of an optical device under test (DUT) from an optical signal having passed through the optical DUT, wherein the optical signal is substantially unpolarized upon entering the optical DUT, the method comprising:

• controlling a polarization controller to receive the optical signal from the optical DUT and vary a state of polarization (SOP) of the optical signal over a plurality of sampled SOP conditions to produce a respective plurality of SOP-varied optical signals;
• controlling a polarization-analysis and detection apparatus to perform a polarization-analysis and detection operation on the plurality of SOP-varied optical signals to acquire a respective plurality of detected signal sets, each detected signal set comprising at least one polarization-analyzed detected signal;
• and
• determining, as the PDL/G of the optical DUT, a polarization extinction ratio (PER) parameter representative of a ratio of maximum to minimum optical power levels measured among the polarization-analyzed detected signals of the plurality of detected signal sets.