Abstract

Optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR or the backscatter technique) is today a commonly used method for attenuation measurements on optical fibers.¹ It is possible to evaluate by OTDR the local attenuation along the fiber and thus the attenuation in fiber faults, splices, etc. If the technique is applied to a situation where the light pulse in the fiber experiences gain, e.g., in a fiber Raman laser,² the growth of the pulse can be studied and the local gain evaluated. In the present paper such an experiment is reported.

© 1981 Optical Society of America