Faraday effect in standard optical fibers: Dispersion of the effective Verdet constant

We have measured the Faraday effect in silica standard optical fibers in the wavelength range 458-1523 nm. An effective Verdet constant V-ef that exhibits a linear dependence on the square of the optical frequency v is defined: V-ef = (0.142+/-0.004) x 10(-28) v(2) rad T-1 m(-1). We demonstrate that the negative effects of a small linear birefringence can be minimized by adjustment of the input polarization to an optimum state. (C) 1996 Optical Society of America