Abstract

Multicore fibers (MCFs) are considered as a successor of standard single mode fibers, which will increase the bandwidth capacity of existing optical fiber networks [1]. One of the most important parameters of MCFs from the point of view of telecommunication applications is crosstalk (XT), which describes optical power transfer between cores. There are different methods of decreasing XT in MCFs, such as increasing distance between cores [2], differentiating refractive indices of cores [3], employing refractive index tranches [4] or air holes [5] around cores. To design properly MCF a reliable and flexible method of XT analysis is required. In the paper we report a novel concept of description and examination of XT in complex MCF structures, which take into account not only the intensity of power transfer but also its periodicity.

© 2015 IEEE