Spatially resolved measurement of chromatic dispersion and Brillouin shift along single-mode optical fibers

We present a new technique for simultaneous measurement of chromatic dispersion and Brillouin shift distribution along conventional, single-mode optical fibers used in telecommunications. It is based on performing Brillouin Optical Time Domain Analysis (BOTDA) over the four-wave mixing generated by two low-power pumps (<10 mW). Unlike others, this technique can measure any arbitrary value ofdispersion. With the use ofthis technique we have obtained consistent, high-resolution and low-noise measurements for both magnitudes. Our measurements indicate a certain correlation between the spatial distribution ofboth quantities, although the degree of correlation varies for the different manufacturers tested.