PMDPro PMD-1000 Polarization Mode Dispersion Emulator/Source

The PMD-1000 (PMDPro) is a digital polarization mode dispersion (PMD) source that deterministically generates 1st order PMD up to 180 ps and 2nd order PMD (SOPMD) up to 8100 ps2. It uses birefringent crystals and ternary magneto-optic rotators to generate PMD, with a PMD switching time as short as one millisecond.

A quasi-continuous operation mode allows independent generation of first order and wavelength-independent second order PMD for uniform coverage of the PMD space. In addition to static combinations of DGD and SOPMD, the instrument can perform grid and continuous-trace PMD scans as well as statistical PMD emulation.

Polarization control and monitoring

The PMD-1000 contains a polarization controller and two polarimeters located before and after the PMD generating element, monitoring the state of polarization (SOP) and degree of polarization (DOP). The polarization controller can scramble the input polarization to average out its effect on the PMD generator.

For single-polarization signals, the controller and polarimeters allow the instrument to automatically adjust the input polarization to obtain the worst-case PMD effect at any PMD setting, or to maximize output DOP for optical PMD compensation. The instrument can also perform deterministic polarization control functions, including trace generation and polarization stabilization at any SOP.