Impact of Terminal Noise on Polarization Rotation Vector for Sensing Applications

Abstract

State-of-Polarization sensing with coherent transponders enables wide-area geophysical monitoring over existing submarine cables, but its performance is limited by polarization noise from both the fiber and terminal hardware. This work investigates how terminal noise affects polarization rotation estimates derived from receiver equalizer coefficients and how it can obscure stochastic polarization drift used for sensing. We analyze Jones-matrix time series from two deployed receivers in the Sparkle Mediterranean link MedNautilus (approximately 2000 km and 450 km) and compare them with a laboratory back-to-back reference. Power Spectral Density (PSD) analysis reveals a low-frequency random-walk regime and a high-frequency white-noise floor, separated by a link-dependent corner frequency. The rotation innovation variance increases with link length, while the longest field link also shows elevated white noise consistent with accumulated amplifier and terminal contributions. Additionally, harmonic spectral components are observed, indicating a transponder-related artifact that should be considered in practical sensing applications.