We propose and demonstrate a method that uses four-wave mixing to estimate the error in the measurement of optical power in an optical spectrum analyzer. We detail the underlying theory, measurement technique and measurement automation for the estimation of the optical power-calibration error. The experimental results of the estimation of the power-calibration error of an optical spectrum analyzer are presented. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Deepa Venkitesh

Department of Electrical Engineering

Calibration

Errors

Spectrum analyzers

CALIBRATION ERROR

MEASUREMENT AUTOMATION

Measurement techniques

Novel techniques

Optical power

OPTICAL SPECTRUM ANALYZER

POWER CALIBRATION

Four wave mixing

IIT Madras is a public technical and research university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Founded in 1959, it is recognised as an Institute of National Importance.

IIT Madras has been ranked as the top engineering institute in India for four years in a row by the National Institutional Ranking Framework of the MHRD

It currently offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees across 16 disciplines in Engineering, Sciences, Humanities and Management. About 596 faculty belonging to science and engineering departments and centres of the Institute are engaged in teaching, research and industrial consultancy.

IIT Madras

A novel technique for the estimation of power-calibration error of an optical spectrum analyzer using four-wave mixing

Measurement Science and Technology

Conventional methods which extract dispersion parameters of an optical fiber using four wave mixing rely on the measurement of optical power in the generated wavelengths, and hence are prone to measurement errors. We propose and demonstrate a power-independent method to extract the dispersion curve of a fiber using four wave mixing (FWM). The analytical equations that have been traditionally used to estimate the phase mismatch in FWM are modified to cater to low-dispersion fibers, and are verified. Experiments to obtain the dispersion curve of a low-dispersion and highly nonlinear fiber are discussed and the results are analyzed. Limitations of any FWM-based method to extract the dispersion curve of a fiber are presented for the first time. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optics Communications

Power-independent technique to extract the dispersion parameters of an optical fiber using four wave mixing

Guidelines for evaluating and expressing the uncertainty of NIST measurement results

Measurement Uncertainty in Forensic Science

Optical fiber power meter calibrations at NIST

Fiber and Integrated Optics

Calibrated optical fiber power meters: Errors due to variations in connectors

Journal	Measurement Science and Technology
Publisher	Institute of Physics Publishing
ISSN	09570233
Open Access	No