We demonstrate a mode-locked fiber laser (MLFL) method for measuring the chromatic dispersion of long transmission fiber. In this method, device under test (DUT) is inserted in the laser cavity, and the chromatic dispersion is measured by the shift of mode-locking frequency when the lasing wavelength is changed. The experimental results of the MLFL method for a 5km-long single-mode fiber had good agreement with the conventional phase-shift method.

We newly propose an optical coherence domain reflectometry for optical subscriber networks with measurement range enhancement. This reflectometry is based on our own technique to synthesize an optical coherence function. An optical switch after a light source generates optical pulses, which select the measuring region, in which one coherence peak is scanned with high spatial resolution. An optical fiber loop delay line including a frequency shifter is placed in a reference-path of the interferometer. In this method, the measuring region could be easily changed by the hetelodyne intermediate frequency selected at the electronic band pass filter. In the basic experiments, the reflections at 5 km distance are measured with a spatial resolution of 8 cm, and the change of the measuring region is successfully demonstrated.

Due to saturable nature of gain or absorption of Er doped fiber, a dynamic grating is formed by standing wave produced by interference between two laser beams traveling in opposite directions in the fiber. In this letter, we propose a variable optical filter using the dynamic grating in Er doped fiber controlled by synthesis of optical coherence function. Simulations and experimental verifications are also shown.