Polarization properties of randomly-birefringent spun fibers

The spinning of single-mode telecommunication fibers is a technique currently and widely used to reduce polarization mode dispersion. Yet, this technique was originally envisaged as a way to produce fibers with arbitrarily low birefringence, to be used in sensor applications. In spite of their applicative significance, spun fibers are still not completely understood. In this paper, we report an extensive analysis of the polarization properties of spun fiber. Both unidirectional and periodic spin profiles are considered. It is shown that very high polarization maintaining capabilities may be achieved by properly tuning the spin parameters.