Accurate measurement of the cutoff wavelength in a microstructured optical fiber by means of an azimutal filtering technique

A simple self-referenced non destructive method is proposed for measuring the cutoff wavelength of microstructured optical fibers (MOFs). It is based on the analysis of the time dependent optical power transmitted through a bow-tie slit rotating in the far-field pattern of the fiber under test. As a first demonstration, the cutoff wavelength of a 2m MOF sample is measured with a precision of 10nm, in good agreement with theoretical predictions.