Automatic determination of refractive index profile, sectional area, and shape of fibers having regular and/or irregular transverse sections

A new method based on a mathematical model and a computer program is suggested to determine the refractive index profile of fibers having regular and/or irregular transverse sectional shape. Microinterferogram of both multiple-beam Fizeau fringes and the duplicated image from two-beam interference microscope are used for the determination of refractive index profile, cross-sectional area and shape of three different types of fibers. To confirm the suggested model, the calculated area and the shape of the transverse section of these fibers are compared with those results obtained using conventional methods.