BIFROST: A First-Principles Model of Polarization Mode Dispersion in Optical Fiber
arXiv:2510.01212 · doi:10.1103/xgqr-rlmf
Abstract
We present BIFROST, a first-principles model of polarization mode dispersion (PMD) in optical fibers. Unlike conventional models, BIFROST employs physically motivated representations of the PMD properties of fibers, allowing users to computationally investigate real-world fibers in ways that are connected to physical parameters such as environmental temperature and external stresses. Our model, implemented in an open-source Python module, incorporates birefringence from core geometry, material properties, environmental stress, and fiber spinning. We validate our model by examining commercial fiber specifications, fiber-paddle measurements, and published PMD statistics for deployed fiber links, and we showcase BIFROST's predictive power by considering wavelength-division-multiplexed PMD compensation schemes for polarization-encoded quantum networks. BIFROST's physical grounding enables investigations into such questions as the sensitivity of fiber sensors, the evaluation of PMD mitigation strategies in quantum networks, and many more applications across fiber technologies.
Minor edits and additions following peer review; 16 pages + references, 8 figures, 2 tables
References in corpus (22)
- Quantum repeaters: From quantum networks to the quantum internet
- Longer-Baseline Telescopes Using Quantum Repeaters
- Entanglement-based wavelength multiplexed quantum communication network
- Quantum key distribution and 1 Gbit/s data encryption over a single fibre
- Optical Interferometry in Astronomy
- High-dimensional decoy-state quantum key distribution over 0.3 km of multicore telecommunication optical fibers
- Full polarization control for fiber optical quantum communication systems using polarization encoding
- Experimental polarization encoded quantum key distribution over optical fibres with real-time continuous birefringence compensation
- Simple Quantum Key Distribution with qubit-based synchronization and a self-compensating polarization encoder
- Cavity-enhanced quantum network nodes
- Passively stable distribution of polarisation entanglement over 192 km of deployed optical fibre
- Sudden Death of Entanglement induced by Polarization Mode Dispersion
- Loss of polarization entanglement in a fiber-optic system with polarization mode dispersion in one optical path
- Polarization basis tracking scheme for quantum key distribution with revealed sifted key bits
- Nonlocal PMD compensation in the transmission of non-stationary streams of polarization entangled photons
- Multi-dimensional entanglement generation with multi-core optical fibers
- Fibre polarization state compensation in entanglement-based quantum key distribution
- Limits and prospects for long-baseline optical fiber interferometry
- Distribution of Telecom Entangled Photons through a 7.7 km Antiresonant Hollow-Core Fiber
- Sensing with submarine optical cables
- Open Wireless Digital Twin: End-to-End 5G Mobility Emulation with OpenAirInterface and Ray Tracing
- Kilometer-Scale Ion-Photon Entanglement with a Metastable Sr Qubit