Abstract: A dehydration-sintering furnace for dehydrating and/or sintering an optical fiber preform for use in production of an optical fiber includes a muffle for accommodating the optical fiber preform, a heater for heating the muffle, and a pressure fluctuation absorbing apparatus connected to the muffle. Since the pressure fluctuation absorbing apparatus is thermally insulated from a room temperature atmosphere or heated, vapor produced in a dehydration-sintering process is prevented from condensing (liquefying) in a pressure fluctuation absorbing apparatus, thereby preventing reduced dehydration effectiveness in the muffle and reduced quality of the optical fiber preform.

Abstract: A dehydration-sintering furnace includes a core tube configured to dehydrate and sinter a porous base material in fabrication of an optical fiber and having an outlet configured to discharge a vapor. The furnace includes a pressure-variation damper connected to the outlet of the core tube. The furnace includes a trap between the core tube and the pressure-variation damper for collecting the vapor.

Abstract: In order to provide a dispersion-compensating optical fiber able to be applied over a broad wavelength band, having a large effective area, and as a result, suppressing the occurrence of non-linear effects, the present invention comprises a dispersion-compensating optical fiber that compensates chromatic dispersion of a 1.3 &mgr;m single-mode optical fiber over the entire wavelength range of 1.53-1.63 &mgr;m characterized in that, chromatic dispersion at a wavelength of 1.55 &mgr;m is −50 ps/nm/km or less, the dispersion slope is negative over the entire wavelength range of 1.53-1.63 &mgr;m, a cutoff wavelength is provided at which there is substantially single-mode propagation, bending loss is 30 dB/m or less, effective area is 20 &mgr;m2 or more, and the absolute value of chromatic dispersion during compensation of the chromatic dispersion of a 1.3 &mgr;m single-mode optical fiber serving as the target of compensation is 0.5 ps/nm/km or less.

Abstract: In order to provide a dispersion-compensating optical fiber able to be applied over a broad wavelength band, having a large effective area, and as a result, suppressing the occurrence of non-linear effects, the present invention comprises a dispersion-compensating optical fiber that compensates chromatic dispersion of a 1.3 &mgr;m single-mode optical fiber over the entire wavelength range of 1.53-1.63 &mgr;m characterized in that, chromatic dispersion at a wavelength of 1.55 &mgr;m is −50 ps/nm/km or less, the dispersion slope is negative over the entire wavelength range of 1.53-1.63 &mgr;m, a cutoff wavelength is provided at which there is substantially single-mode propagation, bending loss is 30 dB/m or less, effective area is 20 &mgr;m2 or more, and the absolute value of chromatic dispersion during compensation of the chromatic dispersion of a 1.3 &mgr;m single-mode optical fiber serving as the target of compensation is 0.5 ps/nm/km or less.

Abstract: In order to provide a dispersion-compensating optical fiber able to be applied over a broad wavelength band, having a large effective area, and as a result, suppressing the occurrence of non-linear effects, the present invention comprises a dispersion-compensating optical fiber that compensates chromatic dispersion of a 1.3 &mgr;m single-mode optical fiber over the entire wavelength range of 1.53-1.63 &mgr;m characterized in that, chromatic dispersion at a wavelength of 1.55 &mgr;m is −50 ps/nm/km or less, the dispersion slope is negative over the entire wavelength range of 1.53-1.63 &mgr;m, a cutoff wavelength is provided at which there is substantially single-mode propagation, bending loss is 30 dB/m or less, effective area is 20 &mgr;m2 or more, and the absolute value of chromatic dispersion during compensation of the chromatic dispersion of a 1.3 &mgr;m single-mode optical fiber serving as the target of compensation is 0.5 ps/nm/km or less.

Abstract: A dispersion-compensating fiber is provided that can compensate chromatic dispersion of a DSF in the L-band (wavelength of 1.565 &mgr;m to 1.625 &mgr;m). The dispersion-compensating fiber is provided with a central core segment, an intermediate core segment, a ring core segment, and a clad, which are provided in this sequence concentrically from the inside, and has refractive index profile such that the refractive indices of these segments satisfy the relationship of intermediate core segment<clad≦ring core segment<central core segment. When a dispersion-shifted fiber having a zero dispersion wavelength of 1.55 &mgr;m±0.05 &mgr;m has been compensating, the residual chromatic dispersion in all or part of the L-band is within ±1.5 ps/nm/km.

Abstract: An optical fiber is formed by performing vapor phase deposition of SiO2 on the outside of a glass rod comprising a core section and a first cladding section and drawing a glass preform which formed by a second cladding section. Also, a single mode optical fiber is manufactured so that the ratio of the diameter D of the first cladding section and the diameter d of the core section is in a range of 4.0 to 4.8, and OH concentration is 0.1 ppm or less. Also, an optical fiber is manufactured so that a value of D/d>4.8, and the OH concentration is 0.1 ppm or less. It is thereby possible to maintain an initial loss in the 1380 nm wavelength range even if hydrogen diffusion occurs.

Abstract: In a wavelength division multiplexed transmission path, the used waveband can be selected from the widest possible waveband among the S-band, C-band, and L-band. The wavelength division multiplexed transmission path has a dispersion-compensating transmission path comprising a dispersion-shifted fiber, which has positive chromatic dispersion throughout a range of wavelengths from 1460 nm to 1630 nm, and one type of dispersion-compensating fiber, or two or more types of dispersion-compensating fiber having different chromatic dispersion having negative chromatic dispersion in a compensation waveband, selected from the abovementioned range; the residual chromatic dispersion of the wavelength division multiplexed transmission path is adjusted so as to be greater than −1.0 ps/nm/km or equal to and less than or equal to +1.0 ps/nm/km in a used waveband of the wavelength division multiplexed transmission path, which is selected from the abovementioned range.

Abstract: A dispersion-compensating fiber is provided that can compensate chromatic dispersion of a DSF in the L-band (wavelength of 1.565 &mgr;m to 1.625 &mgr;m). The dispersion-compensating fiber is provided with a central core segment, an intermediate core segment, a ring core segment, and a clad, which are provided in this sequence concentrically from the inside, and has refractive index profile such that the refractive indices of these segments satisfy the relationship of intermediate core segment<clad≦ring core segment<central core segment. When a dispersion-shifted fiber having a zero dispersion wavelength of 1.55 &mgr;m±0.05 &mgr;m has been compensating, the residual chromatic dispersion in all or part of the L-band is within ±1.5 ps/nm/km.

Abstract: Provided are high-purity quartz glass having a high purity, in particular, with little zirconium (Zr) and manufactured at low costs from natural quartz as the starting material and a method for the preparation thereof.

Abstract: An analytical method for the quantitative determination of the impurities in silicon dioxide by which trace amounts of hardly soluble impurities contained in silicon dioxide can be reliably decomposed and converted into a solution so that the contents of all of the impurities contained in silicon dioxide or, in particular, zirconium in a natural quartz powder can be accurately determined. Silicon dioxide is decomposed with hydrofluoric acid or an acid mixture of hydrofluoric acid and another inorganic acid to give a decomposition solution which is, as such or after admixture with another inorganic acid, subjected to evaporation to dryness and the residue is heated to cause fusion with addition of a salt or hydroxide of an alkali metal followed by dissolution of the salt or hydroxide of an alkali metal with pure water or with an aqueous solution of an inorganic acid to give an aqueous solution which is subjected to quantitative analysis of the impurities therein.