Spun optical fibres: A helical structure of linear birefringence or circular birefringence?

An experiment has been proposed, theoretically substantiated and accomplished which has provided conclusive evidence in favour of one of two models for the behaviour of polarised light in optical fibres fabricated by spinning preforms with a high built-in linear birefringence (spun fibres): a helical structure of the built-in linear birefringence axes and circular birefringence. The experiment, carried out with a reflective fibreoptic dual-polarisation interferometer, has shown that the behaviour of polarisation states in spun fibres can be understood in terms of a helical structure of the built-in linear birefringence axes.