Abstract

We investigated polarization-maintaining nanofibers drawn from PM1550-XP fibers. Results show that as the diameter decreases from 1.1 to 0.55 μm, the polarization extinction ratio remains stable above 20 dB even under bending conditions. In contrast, non-polarization-maintaining fibers exhibit a significant decrease in polarization retention with reduced diameter. This study indicates that the polarization-maintaining nanofibers retain their polarization properties regardless of diameter reduction and external disturbances, compared to ordinary nanofibers. These findings reveal that the bending-induced birefringence disturbs the polarization state of the transmitted light in the transition region rather than in the waist region of a tapered fiber.