| Abstract: | I use the direct far-field method to measure the mode-field diameter of a single-mode fiber with an expanded uncertainty of 30 nm, with a coverage factor of 2. For a step-index fiber with a mode-field diameter of approximately 9 mum, the major sources of uncertainty are nonlinearity in the electronics, angular errors and scattered light in the apparatus, and the polarization and noncircularity of the mode of the fiber. The paper concludes by showing an inconsistency in the derivation of the far-field expression for mode-field diameter. |
