ELEC-E3240 - Exercise 2

Modes in step-index optical fibers

1. Explain briefly the following concepts (max two pages)

a) Modes in step-index optical fiber
b) Structure of step-index optical fiber
c) Numerical aperture (NA)
d) V number
e) Cutoff conditions
2. Helmholtz equation for the axial component of the electric field Ez in an optical fiber can be expressed in
cylindrical coordinates as

1 2 Ez 2 Ez
 
1 Ez
r + 2 + + k02 n2 Ez = 0
r r r r 2 z 2

Derive the solution of this equation in the core and cladding of a step-index optical fiber using separation
of variables. i.e. use the ansatz Ez (r, , z) = R(r)()Z(z) and solve R(r), (), and Z(z).
Hint: You can discard one of the terms in the solution of Z(z) by fixing the propagation direction as +z.
Hint: For the radial dependence R(r), you should get

2 R(r) 2
 
R(r)
r2 + r + r 2
k 2 2
0 n 2
R(r) = 0
r2 r r2

The solutions of this equation are Bessel functions and modified Bessel functions. The correct function
in the core and in the cladding can be chosen based on which function seems physically most reasonable.
(The field should be finite for any value of r etc.)
3. a) Determine whether the following telecommunications fiber is single-moded or multi-moded at the given
wavelength.
nclad = 1.4636, ncore = 1.4682, dcore = 8.2 m, laser = 1550 nm
b) Determine the number of TE0m modes that this fibre can support at the given wavelength. Is it a
multimode or single mode type fiber?
nclad = 1.48, ncore = 1.50, dcore = 20 m, laser = 980 nm
Hint: Use the V number
2
q
V = a n2core n2clad

and the table below.

Roots of Bessel functions

k J0 (x) J1 (x) J2 (x) J3 (x) J4 (x) J5 (x)
1 2.4048 3.8317 5.1356 6.3802 7.5883 8.7715
2 5.5201 7.0156 8.4172 9.7610 11.0647 12.3386
3 8.6537 10.1735 11.6198 13.0152 14.3725 15.7002
4 11.7915 13.3237 14.7960 16.2235 17.6160 18.9801
5 14.9309 16.4706 17.9598 19.4094 20.8269 22.2178