Electrically controllable in-line-type polarizer using polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal spliced optical fibers

The polarization-dependent transmission of light through an electrically controllable in-line-type polarizer that is made from polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal spliced optical fibers is discussed experimentally and theoretically. This in-line-type optical splicing method has the advantage of low transmission loss when it is applied in optical fiber communication systems. An anomalous diffraction approach is used to compute the scattering cross section of polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal droplets. The experimental results are supported by a theoretical analysis. This device can be employed in electrically controllable in-line-type polarizers and has the potential to yield electrically controllable polarization-dependent loss compensators. (C) 2003 Optical Society of America.