TY - JOUR

T1 - Mode Coupling Effects in Ring-Core Fibres for Space-Division Multiplexing Systems

AU - Jin, Xianqing

AU - Gomez, A.

AU - Shi, K.

AU - Thomsen, B.C.

AU - Feng, F.

AU - Gordon, G. S. D.

AU - Wilkinson, T. D.

AU - Jung, Y.

AU - Kang, Q.

AU - Barua, P.

AU - Sahu, J. K.

AU - Alam, S.

AU - Richardson, D. J.

AU - O'Brien, D.C.

AU - Payne, F.P.

PY - 2016/7/15

Y1 - 2016/7/15

N2 - An optical fiber with weak mode coupling is desirable for future ultrahigh capacity space-division multiplexing (SDM) systems because mode coupling in an optical fiber results in extrinsic loss of the fiber and crosstalk between guided optical modes. To study the feasibility of a ring-core fiber (RCF) for SDM systems, in this paper, we investigate the mode coupling in the RCF supporting five or seven guided mode groups (MGs) at a wavelength of 1550 nm. For this purpose, the coupled mode/power theory with identified spatial power spectrum of random perturbations of fiber axis is used to estimate the bend loss/crosstalk of the RCF due to microbending. It is shown that based on the identified parameters for the spatial power spectrum in the 5/7-MG RCF, the estimated bend loss/crosstalk of the RCF agrees well with experimental results. In addition, the impact of the gradient parameter α and refractive index contrast Δ of the fiber refractive index profile on bend loss and crosstalk of the RCF is explored. Simulation results indicate that the Δ instead of the α significantly affects bend loss and crosstalk of the RCF. The magnitude improvement in bend loss by increasing the Δ is dependent on the spatial power spectrum.

AB - An optical fiber with weak mode coupling is desirable for future ultrahigh capacity space-division multiplexing (SDM) systems because mode coupling in an optical fiber results in extrinsic loss of the fiber and crosstalk between guided optical modes. To study the feasibility of a ring-core fiber (RCF) for SDM systems, in this paper, we investigate the mode coupling in the RCF supporting five or seven guided mode groups (MGs) at a wavelength of 1550 nm. For this purpose, the coupled mode/power theory with identified spatial power spectrum of random perturbations of fiber axis is used to estimate the bend loss/crosstalk of the RCF due to microbending. It is shown that based on the identified parameters for the spatial power spectrum in the 5/7-MG RCF, the estimated bend loss/crosstalk of the RCF agrees well with experimental results. In addition, the impact of the gradient parameter α and refractive index contrast Δ of the fiber refractive index profile on bend loss and crosstalk of the RCF is explored. Simulation results indicate that the Δ instead of the α significantly affects bend loss and crosstalk of the RCF. The magnitude improvement in bend loss by increasing the Δ is dependent on the spatial power spectrum.

U2 - 10.1109/JLT.2016.2564991

DO - 10.1109/JLT.2016.2564991

M3 - Article

VL - 34

SP - 3365

EP - 3372

JO - Journal of Lightwave Technology

JF - Journal of Lightwave Technology

SN - 0733-8724

IS - 14

ER -