Optical power distribution in multimode fibers with angular-dependent mode coupling

An expression for the power flow, in multimode optical fibers, is derived, which is mathematically simple and allows a clear physical interpretation of the effects of mode coupling. Coupling strength is assumed to decrease with increasing axial angle. The solution obtained under this assumption is supported by experimental observations. Following the analysis, an experimental procedure to determine the coupling constant is devised. The theoretical results enable the prediction of the loss due to the mode coupling and the transmission bandwidth of the angular multiplexed channels in step-index optical fibers.