The delay spread in fibers for SDM transmission: dependence on fiber parameters and perturbations

Contrary to single mode fibers, where random imperfections are responsible for polarization-mode dispersion, modal dispersion (MD) in multi-mode fiber structures for space-division multiplexed (SDM) transmission, originates chiefly from the intrinsic non-degeneracy of the propagating modes, also known as modal birefringence. The presence of random imperfections in such fibers has a positive aspect, as it reduces the intrinsic MD, and in the limit of strong coupling it causes the signal delay spread to increase with the square root of the propagation distance, rather than linearly, as would be the case in an ideal fiber. In this paper we derive a formula that relates the signal delay spread to the fiber geometry and to the statistical properties of the structural fiber perturbations. The derived formula provides insight into the MD phenomenon and facilitates the design of low-MD multi-mode fiber structures.