In polarization-maintaining single-mode fibers (PM fibers), the fiber symmetry is broken by integrating stress elements in the fiber cladding. The linear. In this article, the latest in FOC's series covering specialty fibers and their fabrication, we discuss polarization-maintaining (PM) fibers and the various approaches used to make them. This birefringence creates two major transmission axes within the fiber, called the fast and slow axes of the fiber. Compared with traditional optical fiber jumpers, polarization maintaining jumpers have the advantages of transmitting polarized light signals through polarization maintaining fibers. For a polarization maintaining fiber, this is a measure of the difference in transit time for light launched into the fast axis and light launched in the slow axis. Beat length is independent.