A polarization-maintaining optical fiber component which suppresses coupling
of
propagating light to a high-order mode at the optical coupling section of the polarization-maintaining
optical fiber component, caused by different refractive indexes between the stress
applying sections and the cladding, thus reducing excess loss, is constructed by
using a polarization-maintaining optical fiber having stress applying sections
arranged symmetrically to each other with respect to a core in a cladding surrounding
the core, wherein the largest one of those concentric circles of the core or the
said cladding which do not reach the stress applying sections and do not include
the stress applying sections within has a diameter of 20 m or greater.