Analysis of scattering from fiber waveguides with irregular core surfaces

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science
• Waveguide Theory

Background:

• Optical waveguides are crucial for signal transmission.
• Surface perturbations can affect waveguide performance.
• Understanding scattering is key to controlling light propagation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To calculate scattering from clad fiber optical waveguides with various core surface perturbations.
• To investigate how surface deviations impact mode coupling and temporal dispersion.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the induced dipole method for scattering calculations.
• Analyzed five specific surface deviation types: radial step, sinusoidal radius perturbation, sinusoidal meander, elliptical core alternation, and helical meander.

Main Results:

• Quantified scattering losses for different perturbation geometries.
• Demonstrated that scattering can effectively couple guided modes in multimode waveguides.
• Showed a reduction in temporal dispersion due to induced mode coupling.

Conclusions:

• The induced dipole method provides an effective means to analyze scattering in perturbed optical waveguides.
• Surface perturbations offer a method to control mode coupling and mitigate temporal dispersion.
• The findings are relevant for designing advanced optical communication systems.