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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Self-polarization effect in the middle point of an optical fiber

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In this paper, we report both numerically and experimentally an unexpected phenomenon of self-polarization occurring in the middle point of an isotropic optical fiber when two uncorrelated partially polarized waves are simultaneously injected at the ends of the fiber. More precisely, we demonstrate that two counterpropagating waves of equal intensity exhibit a spontaneous organization of their polarization states around two pools of attraction just in the middle point of propagation, and then both recover a partially polarized state at their respective fiber outputs. The self-polarization effect then remains hidden within the optical fiber in the sense that no apparent sign of this process is detected at the fiber outputs. A geometric definition of the degree of polarization is used to measure the efficiency of the polarization phenomenon.