Effects of Uncertainties in the Characterization of Multi-Mode Fiber Excitation Conditions

The paper experimentally analyzes the procedure for the evaluation of the excitation conditions of multi-mode fibers according to the draft of the IEC 61300-3-43 Standard. Key parameters such as Mode Transfer Function and Mode Power Distribution are computed from near field measurements using a custom set-up and the impact of near-field image related uncertainties, such as those in the pixel/micrometer calibration factor, is investigated. The study highlights that a 2% uncertainty in the near field image calibration factor still causes acceptable effects in the evaluation of the excitation conditions; other uncertainty sources, such as the defocusing and the image processing algorithm, are currently being investigated.