Ultraviolet-induced birefringence in hydrogen-loaded optical fiber

A precision phase-shifting approach to fabricate various phase-shifted gratings using different combinations of polarized ultraviolet (UV) light is demonstrated. In doing so, the difference between s- and p-polarized light reported by others is confirmed. However, we reveal added complexity for the role of hydrogen and deuterium in the UV-induced process.

Previous arguments for the origins are systematically ruled out by reviewing existing literature. We note that the birefringence is made up of at least two components with different thermal stabilities, one consistent simply with molecular hydrogen being present in the system. Overall the birefringence, by deduction, is associated with anisotropy in hydrogen reactions within the fiber.

As a result they lead, through known mechanisms of dilation in glass, to anisotropic stress relaxation that can be annealed out, with or without hydrogen remaining, at low temperatures close to 125 degrees C.