Digest of the Symposium on Optical Fiber Measurements sponsored by NIST and the IEEE. Includes 44 papers, with strong international participation. The majority of papers are on dispersion, components and nonlinear optics. Dispersion is the largest category, containing 2 sessions of polarization-mode dispersion, a session of chromatic dispersion and a session for group-delay measurements on fiber Bragg gratings. Component papers include grating metrology as well as receiver and amplifier characterization. Nonlinear measurements fill 2 sessions with measurements of nonlinear coefficient and effective area. A full session of papers relates to novel (engineered) fibers).

Over the past decade significant progress has been achieved in the development of waste characterization and control procedures and equipment as a direct response to ever-increasing requirements for quality and reliability of information on waste characteristics. Failure in control procedures at any step can have important, adverse consequences and may result in producing waste packages which are not compliant with the waste acceptance criteria for disposal, thereby adversely impacting the repository. The information and guidance included in this publication corresponds to recent achievements and reflects the optimum approaches, thereby reducing the potential for error and enhancing the quality of the end product. -- Publisher's description.