Phase-matched four-wave mixing of guided and leaky modes in an optical fiber

Dispersion analysis of guided and leaky modes in an optical fiber shows that these two classes of modes can be coupled to each other through phase-matched four-wave mixing. This process can contribute to the generation of broad and flat supercontinua in highly nonlinear fibers, opening, at the same time, an additional channel of loss through radiation energy transfer from guided to leaky modes.