New reference for dispersion measurement aids submarine systems

New reference for dispersion measurement aids submarine systems

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (Gaithersburg, MD), in response to a request from the Telecommunications Industry Association (Arlington, VA), developed a method of calibrating optical-fiber dispersion-measurement systems at an uncertainty level of ۪.06 nm. The Standard Reference Material 2524 consists of a 10-km-long dispersion-shifted optical fiber housed in an insulated aluminum box. Optical-fiber chromatic dispersion is particularly important for submarine systems in which a calibration standard with an uncertainty for zero-dispersion wavelength in the 0.1- to 0.2-nm range is required.