Polarization-Dependent Pulse Compression and Broadening Due to Polarization Dispersion in Dispersion-Shifted Fiber.

The temporal response of a polarization-dispersive medium is derived for the case of a spectrally narrow source using principal states of polarization. Experimental results in dispersion- shifted fiber at 1.55microns confirm that the first order effect of polarization dispersion is a difference in the time of flight for pulses launched in the two principal states, while the second order effect on pulse propagation is an effective chromatic dispersion of opposite sign for these two states. The latter effect is demonstrated by the compression of frequency chirped pulses in one principal state and pulse broadening in the orthogonal state.