Microbends are microscopic bends of an optical fiber, which can cause bend losses (bend-induced propagation losses) even when the fiber is macroscopically kept straight. Also, they influence the polarization mode dispersion. These advantages have led to intense R & D efforts around the world and development of a variety of fiber optic sensors for the measurement of pressure, temperature, liquid level, refractive index, pH, antibodies, electric current, displacement, rotation. Bends fall into two categories: macrobends are bends that are large enough to be seen by the human eye, and microbends are microscopic deviations along the fiber axis. An example of a macrobend is the routing of a jumper in a patch panel; a microbend could be caused if the fiber coating squeezes a. Microbending plays a key role in the bend loss of optical fibres.
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