Fiber polarisation scrambler

1. An optical apparatus for depolarizing a laser beam, comprising:

a linear polarizer receiving the laser beam and transmitting a portion thereof that is linearly polarized;

a polarization-scrambling phase modulator having fast and slow axes, the polarization-scrambling phase modulator driven by a random rapidly-modulated electrical signal from a source thereof;

an optical coupler receiving the linearly-polarized laser beam, dividing the linearly-polarized laser beam into two polarization components having equal power, and separately delivering the two polarization components to the fast and slow axes of the polarization-scrambling phase modulator; and

a birefringent element having fast and slow axes, the polarization component in the slow axis of the polarization-scrambling phase modulator coupled into the fast axis of the birefringent element and the polarization component in the fast axis of the polarization-scrambling phase modulator coupled into the slow axis of the birefringent element;

wherein, the polarization-scrambling phase modulator produces a random differential phase modulation and a time delay between the two polarization components therein;

wherein the birefringent element has a length selected to compensate for the time delay.

2. The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical coupler includes two polarization-maintaining optical fibers in series and joined together by a splice, the polarization-maintaining optical fibers each having orthogonal birefringent axes, the birefringent axes oriented at 45° with respect to each other at the splice.

3. The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical coupler includes a connection and a polarization-maintaining optical fiber, the connection located at the end of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber proximate to the linear polarizer, the polarization-maintaining optical fiber having orthogonal birefringent axes that are oriented at 45° with respect to optical axes of linear polarizer at the connection.

4. The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical coupler includes a connection and a polarization-maintaining optical fiber, the connection located at the end of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber proximate to the polarization-scrambling phase modulator, the polarization-maintaining optical fiber having orthogonal birefringent axes that are oriented at 45° with respect to the fast and slow axes of the polarization scrambling phase modulator.

5. The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical coupler includes a polarization-maintaining beam splitter, a short polarization-maintaining optical fiber in parallel with a long polarization-maintaining optical fiber, and a polarization combiner.

6. The optical apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the optical coupler produces a relative time delay between the two polarization components, the relative time delay produced by the optical coupler is longer than a coherence time of the linearly-polarized laser beam.

7. The optical apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the length of the birefringent element selected to also compensate for the relative time delay produced by the optical coupler.

8. The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the birefringent element is a polarization-maintaining optical fiber.

9. The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the birefringent element is a birefringent crystal.

10. The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the polarization-scrambling phase modulator and the birefringent element are identical, having polarization axes of respective electro-optic crystals therein mutually oriented at 90°.

11. The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the polarization-scrambling phase modulator includes an electro-optic crystal made of lithium niobate.

12. The optical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the polarization-scrambling phase modulator is driven by a white-noise signal.

13. The optical apparatus of claim 1 , further including a spectral-broadening phase modulator that increases the spectral bandwidth of the laser beam before it is received by the linear polarizer.

14. The optical apparatus of claim 13 , wherein a highest-frequency applied to the polarization-scrambling phase modulator is lower than a highest-frequency applied to the spectral-broadening phase modulator.

15. The optical apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the spectral-broadening phase modulator includes an electro-optic crystal made of lithium niobate and is driven by a white-noise signal.

16. A MOPA laser, comprising:

a seed laser providing a laser beam;

a linear polarizer receiving the laser beam and transmitting a portion thereof that is linearly polarized;

a polarization-scrambling phase modulator having fast and slow axes;

an optical coupler receiving the linearly-polarized laser beam, dividing the linearly-polarized laser beam into two polarization components having equal power, and separately delivering the two polarization components to the fast and slow axes of polarization-scrambling phase modulator;

a birefringent element having fast and slow axes, the polarization component in the slow axis of the polarization-scrambling phase modulator coupled into the fast axis of the birefringent element and the polarization component in the fast axis of the polarization-scrambling phase modulator coupled into the slow axis of the birefringent element; and

an amplifier that does not have birefringence, the two polarization components delivered from the birefringent element to the amplifier, the amplifier generating an amplified laser beam;

wherein, the polarization-scrambling phase modulator produces a differential phase modulation and a time delay between the two polarization components therein;

wherein the birefringent element has a length selected to compensate for the time delay.

17. A method for depolarizing a laser beam, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a portion of the laser beam that is linearly polarized through a linear polarizer;

dividing the linearly-polarized laser beam into two polarization components having equal power;

delivering the polarization components into different axes of a polarization-scrambling phase modulator having fast and slow axes;

driving the polarization-scrambling phase modulator with a random rapidly-modulated electrical signal that preferentially modulates one of the polarization components, thereby producing a random differential phase modulation between the polarization components;

coupling the polarization component in the slow axis of the polarization-scrambling phase modulator into a fast axis of a birefringent element; and

coupling the polarization component in the fast axis of the polarization-scrambling phase modulator into a slow axis of the birefringent element;

wherein, the polarization-scrambling phase modulator produces a time delay between the two polarization components therein and the birefringent element has a length selected to compensate for the time delay.

18. The method of claim 17 , further including a step of spectrally broadening the laser beam prior to the transmitting step using a spectral-broadening phase modulator.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein a highest-frequency applied to the polarization-scrambling phase modulator is lower than a highest-frequency applied to the spectral-broadening phase modulator.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the dividing and delivering steps produce a relative time delay between the two polarization components, the length of the birefringent element selected to also compensate for the relative time delay produced by the dividing and delivering steps.