Apparatus and method for the complete characterization of optical devices including loss, birefringence and dispersion effects

An optical vector analyzer for analyzing the characteristics of a fiber-optic device under test (DUT) over a frequency range of interest, comprising:

• (a) a source of light having an optical frequency content over said frequency range of interest, said source of light providing two mutually coherent light beams, each of said light beams feeding a spinner for providing a spinner light output having a polarization state which varies linearly with said frequency, and said spinner light outputs having different rates of change of polarization with respect to change of frequency of the light beam, one of said spinner light outputs comprises an input to said DUT and the other of said spinner light outputs comprises an input to a reference path;
• (b) a beam combiner for combining light output from said reference path and light output from said DUT over said frequency range of interest and providing a detected output;
• and
• (c) a microprocessor, responsive to said detected output and programmed to
• (1) digitize said detected output over a plurality of frequencies at said frequency range of interest,
• (2) derive respective curves from said digitized outputs,
• (3) calculate the Fourier transform of said respective curves, and
• (4) derive from said Fourier transforms one or more arrays of constants for a Jones matrix, thereby characterizing said device under test,
• wherein all of the optical components in the optical vector analyzer are constructed from optical fiber.