Apparatus using two-mode optical waveguide with non-circular core

• US 4,915,468 A
• Filed: 09/16/1988
• Issued: 04/10/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford Management Co.)
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford Management Co.)
• Inventors: Blake, James N., Kim, Byoung Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ullah, Akm E.
• Application Number:
  US07/245,717
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 350/96.15, 350/96.16, 350/96.18, 350/96.20, 350/96.29, 350/96.30
• US Class Current: 385/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/344 using polarisation G01D5/35303 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02047 Dual mode fibre G02B6/105 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/105 having optical polarisation effects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/24 Coupling light guides
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2726 in or on light guides, e.g. polarisation means assembled in a light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2821 using lateral coupling between contiguous fibres to split or combine optical signals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29332 Wavelength selective couplers, i.e. based on evanescent coupling between light guides, e.g. fused fibre couplers with transverse coupling between fibres having different propagation constant wavelength dependency non wavelength-selective light guide couplers G02B6/28
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0134 in optical waveguides

Abstract

An apparatus utilizes a two-mode optical waveguide with a non-circular core to provide stable spatial intensity patterns in both propagation modes for light propagating therein. The light has a wavelength, and the non-circular core has cross-sectional dimensions selected such that (1) the waveguide propagates light at that wavelength in a fundamental mode and a higher order mode, and (2) substantially all of the light in the higher order mode propagates in only a single, stable intensity pattern. Embodiments of the invention include, for example, modal couplers, frequency shifters, mode selectors and interferometers. One of the interferometer embodiments may be used as a strain gauge.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an optical waveguide having a core with a non circular cross section; and

a source of light for introducing light signals having at least one wavelength into the wavelength for propagation therein, such that a substantial portion of the light is at one or more wavelengths less than a first predetermined cutoff wavelength of said waveguide to cause the waveguide to guide light in both a fundamental spatial propagation mode and a higher order spatial propagation mode;

said waveguide being sized to provide a second predetermined cutoff wavelength for said signals, less than the first predetermined cutoff wavelength, the noncircular cross section of the core having cross-sectional dimensions selected such that light guided by the waveguide in the higher order mode at wavelengths greater than the second predetermined cutoff wavelength propagates in only a single, stable, spatial intensity pattern, substantially all of the light signals introduced into the waveguide by said source of light being at one or more wavelengths greater that the second predetermined cutoff wavelength to cause said light signals to propagate in only one spatial intensity pattern for the higher order mode.

2. The apparatus defined by claim 1, wherein the fundamental spatial mode includes two polarization modes, the cross-sectional dimensions of the core further selected to cause the polarization modes of the fundamental mode to be non-degenerate.

3. The apparatus defined by claim 2, wherein the single intensity pattern of the higher order spatial mode includes two polarization modes, the cross-sectional dimensions of the core further selected to cause these polarization modes to be non-degenerate.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, additionally comprising:

means for introducing light into said waveguide such that said light propagates in two spatial modes of said waveguide, and such that said light propagates through a sensing section of the waveguide for exposure to an ambient effect;

means for detecting light output from said sensing section, said detecting means including a photodetector arranged to intercept only a selected portion of the spatial intensity pattern defined by a superposition of the spatial intensity patterns of the two modes, said selected portion of said spatial intensity pattern including substantial portions of light from both of said two spatial modes such that said intensity pattern of said selected portion varies in response to said ambient effect.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said detecting means further includes another photodetector arranged to intercept another portion of the spatial intensity pattern, and a comparing apparatus for comparing the output of the two photodetectors.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said introducing means comprises an optical frequency shifter and a signal generator for driving the frequency shifter, and wherein said detecting means further comprises a comparing apparatus for comparing the output of the two photodetectors.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said detecting means further comprises an amplifier which detects the output of the comparing apparatus in accordance with the frequency of the signal source.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said introducing means comprises an optical frequency shifter which couples light input into one of the two modes to the other of the two modes and shifts the coupled light in frequency.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said frequency shifter comprises an optical fiber and a generator for introducing flexural wave in said fiber.

10. The apparatus of claim 4, additionally comprising a splitting device which splits said selected portion of said spatial intensity pattern into two light beams, a first polarizer for polarizing one of said beams to produce a first light signal, said photodetector positioned to receive said first light signal, a second polarizer for polarizing the other of said beams to produce a second light signal, a second photodetector for receiving said second light signal, said polarizers oriented such that said first and second signals have orthogonal polarizations, and a comparing device for comparing the outputs of the photodetectors.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said two spatial modes comprise said fundamental mode and said higher order mode, said signal intensity pattern of the higher order mode including two polarization modes, said fundamental mode also including two polarization modes, the cross-sectional dimensions of the core further selected to cause both sets of polarization modes to be non-degenerate.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said introducing means comprises a frequency shifter for coupling frequency shifted light from one of the two spatial modes to the other, a generator for driving the frequency shifter at a frequency, and a device for synchronously detecting the output of the comparing device in accordance with the frequency of the generator.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said waveguide comprises an optical fiber and said ambient effect comprises a strain on said optical fiber.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said optical fiber is wrapped on an expandable member to cause said strain.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said member expands in response to temperature.

16. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said waveguide comprises a multimode optical fiber.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said detecting means further includes a mode selector for selectively coupling one of said two modes from said multimode fiber, after propagation of said light through said sensing section, said photodetector positioned to receive light from the single mode fiber.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said introducing means comprises a single mode optical fiber, butt coupled to introduce light into said multimode fiber, said single mode fiber having a central axis which is offset from the central axis of said multimode fiber to cause the light entering the multimode fiber to be split between said two modes of said multimode fiber.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, additionally comprising a coupler, positioned on said single mode fiber, and a reflector positioned at the output of the sensing section for reflecting said light after propagation through said sensing section such that it passes back through said sensing section, and through said coupler, said photodetector positioned to receive light from said coupler.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said ambient effect comprises a strain on said optical fiber.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said introducing means comprises a modal coupler at the input to said sensing section of said multimode fiber to split said light between said two modes of said multimode fiber.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, additionally comprising a reflector for reflecting said light after propagation through said sensing section such that it passes back through said sensing section and back through said modal coupler.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said detecting means additionally comprises a mode stripper for stripping one of said modes from said fiber prior to reaching said photodetector.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said detecting means further includes a modal coupler at the output of said sensing section for coupling light between said two modes prior to reaching said mode selector.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said detecting means further includes a single mode fiber butt coupled to receive light from the multimode fiber, said single mode fiber having a central axis which is offset from the central axis of the multimode fiber to cause the light entering the single mode fiber to include substantial portions of light from both of said two modes.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said detecting means further includes a single source for driving said frequency shifter and an amplifier for synchronously detecting the photodetector output in accordance with the frequency of the signal source.

27. An apparatus, comprising:

an optical waveguide having a core with a noncircular cross section; and

a source of light for introducing light signals having at least one wavelength into the waveguide for propagation therein, such that a substantial portion of the light is at one or more wavelengths less than a first predetermined cutoff wavelength of said waveguide to cause the waveguide to guide light in both a fundamental spatial propagation mode and a higher order spatial propagation mode;

wherein said waveguide is sized to provide a second predetermined cutoff wavelength for said signals, less than the first predetermined cutoff wavelength, the noncircular cross section of the core having cross-sectional dimensions selected such that light guided by the waveguide in the higher order mode at wavelengths greater than the second predetermined cutoff wavelength propagates in only a single, stable, spatial intensity pattern, substantially all of the light signals introduced into the waveguide by said source of light being at one or more wavelengths greater than the second predetermined cutoff wavelength to cause said light signals to propagate in only one spatial intensity pattern for the higher order mode; and

wherein the waveguide comprises an optical fiber, the fundamental mode being the LP₀₁ mode of the optical fiber and the higher order mode being the LP₁₁ mode of the optical fiber, the single intensity pattern being the even mode intensity pattern of the LP₁₁ mode.

28. The apparatus defined by claim 27, wherein the core of the optical fiber has an elliptical cross section.

29. The apparatus defined by claim 27, additionally comprising means for inducing a periodic stress in the optical fiber at intervals related to the beat length between the fundamental mode and the higher order mode such that light is cumulatively coupled between the fundamental and higher order modes at said intervals.

30. The apparatus defined by claim 29, wherein the stress inducing means induces microbends into the fiber.

31. The apparatus defined by claim 27, additionally comprising a periodic structure for applying force to the fiber to induce static microbends in the fiber at intervals defined by the beat length between the fundamental mode and the higher order mode such that light is cumulatively coupled between the modes at said intervals.

32. An apparatus, comprising:

an optical waveguide having a core with a noncircular cross section; and

a source of light for introducing light signals having at least one wavelength into the waveguide for propagation therein, such that a substantial portion of the light is at one or more wavelengths less than a first predetermined cutoff wavelength of said waveguide to cause the waveguide to guide light in both a fundamental spatial propagation mode and a higher order spatial propagation mode;

wherein said waveguide is sized to provide a second predetermined cutoff wavelength for said signals, less than the first predetermined cutoff wavelength, the noncircular cross section of the core having cross-sectional dimensions selected such that light guided by the waveguide in the higher order mode at wavelengths greater than the second predetermined cutoff wavelength propagates in only a single, stable, spatial intensity pattern, substantially all of the light signals introduced into the waveguide by said source of light being at one or more wavelengths greater than the second predetermined cutoff wavelength to cause said light signals to propagate in only one spatial intensity pattern for the higher order mode; and

wherein the waveguide comprises an optical fiber, said apparatus additionally comprising;

a generator for producing a traveling flexural wave which propagates in said optical fiber, the energy of said traveling flexural wave confined to said optical fiber and having a wavelength in the direction of propagation selected in accordance with a beat length for two modes of the fiber to cause light to be cumulatively coupled from one of the modes to the other of the modes and shifted in frequency.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said flexural wave forms a series of microbends which propagate in the fiber.

34. An apparatus, comprising:

an optical waveguide having a core with a noncircular cross section; and

a source of light for introducing light signals having at least one wavelength into the waveguide for propagation therein, such that a substantial portion of the light is at one or more wavelengths less than a first predetermined cutoff wavelength of said waveguide to cause the waveguide to guide light in both a fundamental spatial propagation mode and a higher order spatial propagation mode;

wherein said waveguide is sized to provide a second predetermined cutoff wavelength for said signals, less than the first predetermined cutoff wavelength, the noncircular cross section of the core having cross-sectional dimensions selected such that light guided by the waveguide in the higher order mode at wavelengths greater than the second predetermined cutoff wavelength propagates in only a single, stable, spatial intensity pattern, substantially all of the light signals introduced into the waveguide by said source of light being at one or more wavelengths greater than the second predetermined cutoff wavelength to cause said light signals to propagate in only one spatial intensity pattern for the higher order mode; and

wherein said waveguide comprises a first optical fiber, said apparatus additionally comprising a second optical fiber which is dissimilar to the first fiber, said second fiber having at least one spatial propagation mode, only two of the modes of the fibers having matching propagation velocities, one of the matching modes being in the first fiber and the other being in the second fiber, said fibers juxtaposed to form an interaction region in which light is transferred between their cores, the proximity of the fiber cores at the interaction region selected such that light propagating in one of the matching modes in one of the fibers is coupled to the other of the fibers, the remainder of the modes all having mismatched propagation velocities such that the propagation velocity of each of the mismatched modes differs sufficiently from all of the other modes to prevent substantial optical coupling between any of the mismatched modes.

35. The apparatus defined by claim 34, wherein the cores of each of the fibers have a cross section which is substantially the same inside the interaction region as outside the interaction region.

36. The apparatus defined by claim 35, wherein the second fiber is a single mode fiber.

37. The apparatus defined by claim 35, wherein the length of the interaction region is at least an order of magnitude larger than the maximum cross sectional core dimension of either of the fibers.

38. The apparatus of claim 34, additionally comprising a grating reflector disposed at a location on the first fiber, the grating reflector having a spatial periodically selected to couple light having a predetermined wavelength between one of the mismatched modes and one of the matched modes, both of these modes being in the first fiber.

39. An apparatus, comprising:

an optical waveguide having a core with a noncircular cross section; and

a source of light for introducing light signals having at least one wavelength into the waveguide for propagation therein, such that a substantial portion of the light is at one or more wavelengths less than a first predetermined cutoff wavelength of said waveguide to cause the waveguide to guide light in both a fundamental spatial propagation mode and a higher order spatial propagation mode;

wherein said waveguide is sized to provide a second predetermined cutoff wavelength for said signals, less than the first predetermined cutoff wavelength, the noncircular cross section of the core having cross-sectional dimensions selected such that light guided by the waveguide in the higher order mode at wavelengths greater than the second predetermined cutoff wavelength propagates in only a single, stable, spatial intensity pattern, substantially all of the light signals introduced into the waveguide by said source of light being at one or more wavelengths greater than the second predetermined cutoff wavelength to cause said light signals to propagate in only one spatial intensity pattern for the higher order mode; and

wherein said waveguide comprises a first optical fiber, said apparatus additionally comprising a second optical fiber which is dissimilar to said first optical fiber, said fibers juxtaposed to form an interaction region for coupling light exclusively between a selected spatial mode in the first fiber and a selected spatial mode in the second fiber, one of the selected modes being of a higher order than the other of the selected modes, the length of the interaction region being at least an order of magnitude greater than the maximum cross sectional dimension of the core of either of the fibers, and each of the fibers having a cross sectional area which is substantially the same within the interaction region as outside the interaction region.

40. An apparatus, comprising:

an optical waveguide having a core with a noncircular cross section; and

a source of light for introducing light signals having at least one wavelength into the waveguide for propagation therein, such that a substantial portion of the light is at one or more wavelengths less than a first predetermined cutoff wavelength of said waveguide to cause the waveguide to guide light in both a fundamental spatial propagation mode and a higher order spatial propagation mode;

wherein said waveguide is sized to provide a second predetermined cutoff wavelength for said signals, less than the first predetermined cutoff wavelength, the noncircular cross section of the core having cross-sectional dimensions selected such that light guided by the waveguide in the higher order mode at wavelengths greater than the second predetermined cutoff wavelength propagates in only a single, stable, spatial intensity pattern, substantially all of the light signals introduced into the waveguide by said source of light being at one or more wavelengths greater than the second predetermined cutoff wavelength to cause said light signals to propagate in only one spatial intensity pattern for the higher order mode;

wherein the fundamental spatial mode includes two polarization modes, the cross-sectional dimensions of the core further selected to cause the polarization modes of the fundamental mode to be non-degenerate;

wherein the single intensity pattern of the higher order spatial mode includes two polarization modes, the cross-sectional dimensions of the core further selected to cause these polarization modes to be non-degenerate; and

wherein the non-degeneracy between the polarization modes of the fundamental mode and higher order mode produces a beat length between polarization modes on the order of 10 cm or less, for both sides of polarization modes.

41. An optical apparatus, comprising:

an optical waveguide comprising first and second propagation modes having first and second propagation constants, respectively, said first propagation constant different from said second propagation constant such that light in said first mode propagates at a different velocity than light in said second mode, said light being comprised of first and second components having first and second characteristics, respectively, a portion of each of said components propagating in each of said propagation modes, said first component in said first propagation mode being in phase with said first component in said second propagation mode at a predetermined location on said fiber, said second component in said first mode being out of phase with said second component in said second mode at said predetermined location; and

first and second propagation paths coupled to receive said light from said predetermined location of said waveguide such that (1) said first component of said first mode and said first component of said second mode are combined in one of said first and second paths, and (2) said second component of said first mode and said second component of said second mode are combined into the other of said first and second paths, thereby separating light having said first characteristics from light having said second characteristic.

42. An apparatus as defined by claim 41, wherein said first characteristics is a first wavelength and said second characteristic is a second wavelength.

44. An apparatus as defined by claim 41, wherein said first characteristic is a first polarization and said second characteristic is a second polarization.

45. An apparatus as defined in claim 44, wherein said first and second components have the same wavelength.

46. An apparatus as defined by claim 41, wherein said waveguide has a noncircular core.

47. An apparatus as defined by claim 46, wherein the cross-sectional dimensions of said noncircular core are selected to cause light in the higher order of said modes to propagate in a single stable intensity pattern.

48. An apparatus as defined in claim 41, wherein said first and second propagation paths comprise said first and second modes of said waveguide and wherein said propagation paths are coupled to receive said light from said waveguide by a modal coupler disposed at said predetermined location.

49. An apparatus as defined by claim 48, wherein said modal coupler comprises a series of microbends formed in said fiber.

50. An apparatus as defined by claim 48, additionally comprising a mode selector for coupling only one of said first and second modes to a second waveguide.

51. An apparatus as defined by claim 41, additionally comprising a mechanism for stretching said fiber to control the phase relationship of said components at said coupling location.

52. An apparatus as defined by claim 41, wherein said propagation paths are formed by a pair of fibers disposed at said predetermined location.

53. An apparatus as defined by claim 52, wherein said light at said predetermined location in said waveguide is spatially separated into two lobes, and wherein an end of each of said pair of fibers is positioned to receive light from said lobes.

43. An apparatus as defined by claim 43, wherein said first and second components have the same polarization.

54. An apparatus comprising:

an optical waveguide having a non-circular core, said core being sized to have dimensions that are selected so that said waveguide propagates light in a predetermined wavelength range such that the light having a wavelength within said predetermined wavelength range propagates in a fundamental spatial propagation mode and in a second order spatial propagation mode, each of said fundamental spatial propagation mode and said second order spatial propagation mode supporting the propagation of light in first and second orthogonal polarization modes;

a light source that introduces light into said optical waveguide at a waveguide within said predetermined wavelength range to propagate in said waveguide in both of said fundamental and second order spatial propagation modes and in both of said two polarization modes within each of said spatial propagation modes;

means optically coupled to said waveguide for separating said light after passing through said optical waveguide into a first portion having said first polarization and a second portion having said second polarization, each of said first and second portions including light in said first and second spatial propagation modes; and

a detection system that detects the intensity of the light in said first and second portions, the intensity of the light in said first and second portions varying in response to a perturbation of said waveguide, said detection system providing a first output signal responsive to the intensity of the light in said first portion and a second output signal responsive to the intensity of the light in said second portion.

55. The apparatus as defined in claim 54, wherein the perturbation is a strain applied to said waveguide that causes the length of said waveguide to change.

56. The apparatus as defined in claim 55, wherein the intensity of the light in said first and second portions varies in response to changes in the temperature of said waveguide, the variations in intensity caused by changes in the temperature differing from the variations in intensity caused by strain, said apparatus further including means for processing said first and second output signals to determine the magnitude of the strain and the magnitude of the temperature change.

57. The apparatus as defined in claim 56, wherein said processing means determines the magnitude of the strain and the magnitude of the temperature change in accordance with the following equations:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Δ

φ

.sub.H =AΔ

L+BΔ

T

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Δ

φ

.sub.V =Cα

L+DΔ

T

wherein Δ

φ

_H is the change in phase between the fundamental spatial propagation mode and the second order spatial propagation mode for the light propagating in one of said first and second polarization modes as measured by the changes in intensity in a respective one of said first and second portions;

Δ

φ

_L is the change in phase between the fundamental spatial propagation mode and the second order spatial propagation mode for the light propagating in the other of said first and second polarization modes as measured by the changes in intensity in the respective other of said first and second portions;

AΔ

L is the change in length of the waveguide responsive to the applied strain;

BΔ

T is the change in the temperature of the waveguide; and

A, B, C and D are constants determined when said apparatus is calibrated with known applied strains and known temperatures.

58. The apparatus as defined in claim 54, wherein said non-circular core has a geometry that is selected so that the light having said wavelength within said predetermined range of wavelengths propagates only in a single, stable intensity pattern in said second order propagation mode, said core geometry suppressing propagation of light in a second intensity pattern in said second order propagation mode.

59. The apparatus as defined in claim 58, wherein said waveguide is a two-mode optical fiber.

60. An apparatus comprising:

a light source coupled to a single core optical waveguide such that light from said light source propagates in said optical waveguide in first, second, third and fourth propagation paths as first, second, third and fourth light signals; and

a detection system that (1) detects the phase difference between said first and second light signals propagating in said first and second propagation paths and (2) detects the phase difference between said third and fourth light signals propagating in said third and fourth propagation paths, said detection system utilizing (1) said detected phase difference between said first and second light signals and (2) said detected phase difference between said third and fourth light signals to provide an output signal responsive to perturbation of at least one of said first, second, third and fourth propagation paths of said optical waveguide.

61. The apparatus as defined in claim 60, wherein said optical waveguide is a multimode optical fiber, said first and second propagation paths are the fundamental and second order spatial propagation modes of light having a first polarization, and said third and fourth propagation paths are the fundamental and second order spatial propagation modes of light having a second polarization orthogonal to said first polarization.

62. A method of propagating light from a source of light through an optical waveguide having a core with a non-circular cross-section, comprising the steps of:

selecting the wavelength of the light and the cross-sectional dimensions of the non-circular core such that (1) the waveguide propagates light in a fundamental spatial propagation mode and a higher order spatial propagation mode, and (2) substantially all of the light in the higher order mode propagates in only a single, stable intensity pattern.

63. The method of claim 62, wherein the fundamental spatial mode includes two polarization modes, the method additionally comprising further selecting the cross-sectional dimensions of the core to cause the polarization modes of the fundamental mode to be nondegenerate.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein the single intensity pattern of the higher order spatial mode includes two polarization modes, the method additionally comprising further selecting the cross-sectional dimensions of the core to cause these polarization modes to be nondegenerate.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein the nondegeneracy between the polarization modes of the fundamental mode and higher order mode produce a beat length between polarization modes on the order of 10 cm or less, for both sets of polarization modes.

66. The method of claim 63, additionally comprising the step of inducing a periodic stress in the waveguide at intervals related to the beat length between the fundamental mode and the higher order mode such that light is cumulatively coupled between the fundamental and higher order modes at the intervals.

67. The method of claim 63, wherein the waveguide comprises an optical fiber, the method additionally comprising the step of propagating a traveling flexural wave in the optical fiber and utilizing the flexural wave to couple light from one of the modes to another of the modes.

68. The method of claim 67, wherein the flexural wave forms a series of microbends which propagate in the fiber.

69. A method of propagating light from a source of light through an optical waveguide having a core with a non-circular cross section, comprising the steps of:

selecting the wavelength of the light and the cross-sectional dimensions of the non-circular core such that (1) the waveguide propagates light in a fundamental spatial propagation mode and a higher order spatial propagation mode, and (2) substantially all of the light in the higher order mode propagates in only a single, stable intensity pattern, wherein the fundamental spatial mode includes two polarization modes, the method additionally comprising further selecting the cross-sectional dimensions of the core to cause the polarization modes of the fundamental mode to be nondegenerate;

wherein the waveguide comprises a first optical fiber, said method additionally comprising the step of coupling the light from a selected one of the fundamental and higher order modes of the first fiber to a selected mode of a second fiber, without coupling light from the other of the fundamental and higher order modes to the selected mode of the second fiber.

70. A method of propagating light from a source of light through an optical waveguide having a core with a non-circular cross section, comprising the steps of:

selecting the wavelength of the light and the cross-sectional dimensions of the non-circular core such that (1) the waveguide propagates light in a fundamental spatial propagation mode and a higher order spatial propagation mode, and (2) substantially all of the light in the higher order mode propagates in only a single, stable intensity pattern, wherein the fundamental spatial mode includes two polarization modes, the method additionally comprising further selecting the cross-sectional dimensions of the core to cause the polarization modes of the fundamental mode to be nondegenerate;

said method additionally comprising the step of introducing light into the waveguide such that the light propagates in two spatial modes of the waveguide, and such that the light propagates through a sensing section of the waveguide for exposure to an ambient effect, and detecting only a selected portion of the spatial intensity pattern defined by a superposition of the spatial intensity patterns of the two modes, said selected portion of the spatial intensity pattern including substantial portions of light from both of the two spatial modes.

71. The method of claim 70, additionally comprising the step of detecting another portion of the spatial intensity pattern and comparing the detected portions of the spatial intensity patterns to measure the ambient effect.

72. The method of claim 70, additionally comprising the step of coupling light input into one of the two modes to the other of the two modes and shifting the coupled light in frequency.

73. The method of claim 70, wherein the waveguide comprises an optical fiber, the method additionally comprising the step of stretching the optical fiber to produce the ambient effect.

74. The method of claim 70, wherein the two spatial modes comprise the fundamental mode and the higher order mode, the single intensity pattern of the higher order mode including two polarization modes, the fundamental mode also including two polarization modes, the method additionally comprising the step of further selecting the cross-sectional dimensions of the core to cause both sets of polarization modes to be non degenerate.

75. The method of claim 74, additionally comprising the steps of splitting the selected portion of the spatial intensity pattern into two light beams, passing one of the beams through a polarizer to produce a first light signal, passing the other of the beams through a second polarizer to produce a second light signal, orienting the polarizers such that the first and second signals have orthogonal polarizations, and comparing the first and second signals to measure the ambient effect.

76. The method of claim 75, additionally comprising the step of coupling light between the fundamental mode and the higher order mode and frequency shifting the coupled light.

77. A method of separating light having a first wavelength from light having a second wavelength, comprising:

propagating said light in a waveguide comprising first and second propagation modes having first and second propagation constants, respectively, said first propagation constant different from said second propagation constant such that light in said first mode propagates at a different velocity than light in said second propagation mode;

propagating a component of said light at said first wavelength in each of said first and second modes;

propagating a component of said light at said second wavelength in each of said first and second modes;

coupling both of said components at said first wavelength to a first propagation path; and

coupling both of said components at said second wavelength to a second propagation path.

78. The method of claim 77, additionally comprising the step of perturbing the propagation modes to adjust the phase relationship of said components at said first and second wavelengths.

79. The method of claim 78, wherein said waveguide comprises an optical fiber, and wherein the step of perturbing the propagation modes comprises the step of stretching the optical fiber.

80. The method of claim 77, wherein said first and second propagation paths comprise propagation modes of said waveguide, and wherein both of said coupling steps further comprise passing said components through a modal coupler.

81. The method of claim 77, wherein said propagation paths are formed by a pair of optical fibers.

82. The method of claim 77, wherein said coupling steps are performed at a predetermined location on said waveguide at which said components at said first wavelength are out of phase and said components at said second wavelength are in phase.

83. A method of separating light having a first polarization from light having a second polarization, comprising:

propagating said light in a waveguide comprising first and second propagation modes having first and second propagation constants, respectively, said first propagation constant different from said second propagation constant such that light in said first mode propagates at a different velocity than light in said second mode;

propagating a component of said light having said first polarization in each of said first and second modes;

propagating a component of said light having said second polarization in each of said first and second modes;

coupling both of said components having said first polarization to a first propagation path; and

coupling both of said components having said second polarization to a second propagation path.

84. The method of claim 83 additionally comprising the step of perturbing the propagation modes to adjust the phase relationship of said components at said first and second wavelengths.

85. The method of claim 84, wherein said waveguide comprises an optical fiber, and wherein the step of perturbing the propagation modes comprises the step of stretching the optical fiber.

86. The method of claim 83, wherein said first and second propagation paths comprise propagation modes of said waveguide, and wherein said coupling step comprises passing said components through a modal coupler.

87. The method of claim 83, wherein said propagation paths are formed by a pair of optical fibers.

88. The method of claim 83, wherein said coupling steps are performed at a predetermined location on said waveguide at which said components having said first polarization are out of phase and said components having said second polarization are in phase.