Polishing-induced birefringence in single-mode fibers.

Polishing a flat surface on a fiber changes the birefringence at the core or introduces birefringence in a circular fiber. In this paper, a circularly symmetric fiber is studied both experimentally and by a simple model in which the birefringence arises from the application of forces along the polished surface. The polishing-induced birefringence first rises to a maximum and then falls off as the polished surface approaches the core.