Compact First-Order Polarization Mode Dispersion Compensator Based on Birefringent Crystals

We report a new first-order polarization-mode-dispersion (PMD) compensator based on birefringent crystals and magneto-optic polarization controllers. The compensator shows the response time of 150μs, insertion loss smaller than 3 dB, and maximum differential group delay of 44.6 ps. Compared to the first-order PMD compensators reported so far, our PMD compensator exhibits fast response time, low insertion loss, compact size, broad bandwidth, and immunity to environmental vibrations.