US Patent 8948547 Multi-state polarization preserving optical fiber

The inventive chiral polarization preserving optical fiber utilizes a structure composed of specially positioned and configured single mode (SM) and conventional polarization maintaining (PM) fiber elements along with at least two novel circular chiral fiber polarizers (each operable to convert linearly polarized light to circularly polarized light), to preserve any arbitrary polarization state of light signals transmitted therethrough without the limitations and drawbacks of other polarization maintaining solutions. In another inventive embodiment thereof, the inventive chiral polarization preserving optical fiber is configured as an arbitrary polarization state maintaining light signal splitter.