Numerical analysis of intermodal delay in few-mode fibers for mode division multiplexing in optical fiber communication systems

In order to achieve higher spectral efficiency, mode division multiplexing (MDM) in few-mode fibers is a new research area. The idea faces lots of technical issues including intermodal delay and mode coupling which limit the achievable length of the system. This paper is designated to complete the analysis of intermodal delay in step-index few-mode fibers. We analyze numerically all the parameters of fiber, which could impact intermodal delay in few-mode fibers and identify the conditions which can increase the number of multiplex modes without significant increase in maximum intermodal delay.