Fiber Optics & Optoelectronics:

CYLINDRICAL WAVEGUIDES
BITS Pilani
Pilani Campus

RAHUL SINGHAL

Maxwells Equations

B
E
t

D
H J
t

.D

.B 0

where, Nabla (Del) operator is defined as

Inside an ideal dielectric, =0,& =0

i j k
x
y
z

0 r ; 0 4 107 N/A 2or H/m

0 r ; 0 8.854 1012 C2 /Nm2

B
E
t

D
H
t

.D 0

.B 0
2

For an isotropic, linear, non-conducting, non-magnetic,

but inhomogenous medium,

.D .E 0.( r E ) 0

0 [.( r E ) r .E ] 0

1
.E
r

( r ).E

D
E
E 2 0 0 r 2 (.E ) 2 E
t
t

E
2
(.E ) E 0 0 r 2
t

E
(.E ) 2 E 0 0 r 2
t
2

E
2
E (.E ) 0 0 r 2 0
t
2

1
E
2
E ( r ).E 0 0 r 2 0
t
r

2H
H ( r ) ( H ) 0 0 r 2 0
t
r

For cylindrical waveguide,

n1 r a
n
n2 r a

But, there is a discontinuity at r = a. Assume <<1, weakly guiding approximation,

The second term in above equations may be ignored and
2

2
2
0 0 n
t 2

Where represents scalar E & H field

4

In cylindrical coordinates (r, , z), we may re-write,

2

2
2
0 0 n
0
2
t
2
2 1 1 2 2

2
2 0 0 n
0
2
2
2
r
r r r
z
t

Since n depend on transverse coordinates r,, though it usually depends on r,

We may write solution as

(r , , z, t ) (r , )ei (t z )
Substitute in
We get,

ei (t z )

2
2 1 1 2 2
2

0 0 n
0
r 2 r r r 2 2 z 2
t 2

2 1 i (t z ) 1 i (t z ) 2
e
2e
2
r
r
r r
2

( 2 )ei (t z ) 0 0 n 2 ( 2 )ei (t z ) 0

or

or

2 1 1 2
2 2
2

] 0
0 0
2
2
2
r
r r r
2 1 1 2
2 2
2

[
n
k

] 0
2
2
2
r
r r r

1
0 0 2 ; k
c c

Since the fiber has cylindrical symmetry, the variable may be separated,

(r, ) R(r )( )
2 R 1 R R 2
2 2
2
2
2

[
n
k

]R 0
2
r
r r r
Since the derivatives involve are dependent on r or only,

1 d 2 R 1 dR 1 1 2
2 2
2

[
n
k

]0
R dr 2 Rr dr r 2 2
r 2 d 2 R 1 dR 2 2 2
1 2 2
2
2
r [n k ]
l
2
R dr
r dr

Where, l is a
constant, known as
azimuthal eigen value

The dependence of on will be of form eil.

( 2 ) ( ), l 0,1,2,3...
Therefore,

(r, , z, t ) R(r )eil ei (t z )

The radial part,

r 2 d 2 R 1 dR 2 2 2
2
r [n k 2 ] l 2
R dr
r dr

d 2R
dR
2
2 2
2
2
r

[
r
(
n
k

l
]R 0
2
dr
dr
2

 n1 r a
n
n2 r a

d 2R
dR
2 2
2
2
2
r

[
r
(
n
k

l
]R 0, r a
1
2
dr
dr
2
d
R
dR
2 2
2
2
2
2
r

[
r
(
n
k

l
]R 0, r a
2
2
dr
dr
2

To simplify

n a

u k n a
2

w2

2
1

k2

2
2

2
2

V (u 2 w2 )1/ 2 ka(n12 n22 )1/ 2

V

a(n12 n22 )1/ 2

2
2 2

d
R
dR
u
r
2
2
r
r
2 l R 0, r a
2
dr
dr a

2
2 2

d
R
dR
w
r
2
2
r
r
2 l RR 0, r a
2
dr
dr a

Equations finally turn up to second order differential equations and hence

posses two independent solutions.

d 2R
dR u 2 r 2 2
r
r
2 l R 0, r a
2
dr
dr a

The solution for above equation will be Bessel function and

modified Bessel function of first kind.

d 2R
dR w2 r 2 2
r
r
2 l R 0, r a
2
dr
dr a

The solution for above equation will be Bessel function and

modified Bessel function of second kind.

Bessel Functions First Kind

Modified Bessel first kind

Bessel Functions Second kind

Modified Bessel Second kind

10

The modified bessel function of first kind has a discontinuity at origin

And the Bessel function of second kind has an asymptotic form.
Hence, these are discarded in solutions for fiber modes.
For solutions to be finite at r = 0 and tend to zero as r tends to infinity,
u and w should be real.
Therefore, the solutions,

ur
R(r ) AJ l , r a
a

Bessel function of first

kind of order l.

wr
R(r ) BK l , r a
a

Modified Bessel function

of second kind of order l.

Read TB, Eqn 4.21 4.38 or {Appdx C (RB)} to know more on Jl and Kl

11

Since is continuous at r = a, R(r) must be continuous at r = a. Thus,

Constants A & B can be calculated from following eqns.

R(a) AJ l u , r a

R(a) BK l w, r a
We Know,

(r, ) R(r )( )

Substituting values of R and , we get transverse dependence of the modal fields,

ur cos(l ); r a
(r , ) AJ l
a sin(l )
wr cos(l ); r a
(r , ) BK l
a sin(l )
where,

n a

u 2 k 2 n12 2 a 2
w2

k2

2
2

2
12

K l ( wx) e wx ; wx and,
K l ( wx) 0 as x ;
w 0 2
The radial part R(r) in the core is given by Jl(ux), which is oscillatory in nature.
Inside the core, u must be real,

1
22 ( n12 k 2 ) 2 12 ( n22 k 2 )
2 22
2 n22 k 2
b 2
2 2
2
1 2 n1 k n22 k 2
u 2 w2
b 1 2 2
V
V
Each allowed value of is
characterized by two integers l and m
where l is associated with azimuthal
part while m is associated with radial
part of the solution. These are known
as guided modes.

13

The fiber boundary conditions have cylindrical symmetry and we assume that
The direction of propagation of the EM waves is along the axis of the fiber, which
we take to be the z-axis.
In the scalar wave approximation, the modes may be assumed to be nearly
transverse and they may possess an arbitrary state of Polarization.
These linearly polarized modes are referred to as LP modes.
The propagation constants of the TE and TM modes are nearly equal.
Among the modes that can propagate in step-index fibers, there are,
TE modes (electric field transverse to the propagation direction),
TM modes (magnetic field transverse to the propagation direction), and
hybrid modes (HEmn and EHmn modes, these modes have electric and magnetic
fields along the propagation direction).

14

For typical fibers used in telecommunication and data communication, the refractive index difference
between core and cladding, n1-n2, is so small (~0.002-0.008) that most of the TE, TM, and hybrid modes
are degenerate and it is sufficient to use a single notation for all these modes the LP notation.
An LP mode is referred to as LPlm, where the l and m subscripts are related to the number of radial and
azimuthal zeros of a particular mode. The fundamental mode is LP01 mode and it is the only mode that
can propagate in a single mode fiber.
The following picture shows the LP modes power distribution pattern.

15

16

Guided Modes:
There exists m allowed solutions of for each value of l.
Therefore, each value of allowed is characterized by two integers l and m.
l is associated with azimuthal part of solution and m is associated with radial part.

An LP mode is referred to as LPlm

The fundamental mode is LP01 mode

17

From Microwave Engineering:

The order of the mode refers to the field
configuration in the guide, and is given by m
and n integer subscripts, TEmn and TMmn.
The m subscript corresponds to the number of
half-wave variations of the field in the x
direction, and
The n subscript is the number of half-wave
variations in the y direction.

18

LP11

19

Example 4.1: A SI Fiber has a core diameter of 7.2 m, a core index of 1.46,
and a of 1%. A light of wavelength 1.55 m is used to excite modes in the fiber.
Find (a) V, (b) lm, and (c) vp.
V = 3.01

a(n12 n22 )1/ 2

b01=0.62

LP01

lm2 22 lm2 n22 k 2

blm 2
2 2
2
1 2 n1 k n22 k 2
b11=0.18

p lm

LP11

2c

lm lm
20

 (r, ) R(r )( )

R(a) AJ l u , r a
R(a) BK l w, r a

ur cos l
(r , ) AJ l
a sin l
wr cos l
(r , ) BK l
a sin l

ra
ra

Differentiating partially (r,) as / r is continuous at r = a and,

substituting value of A and B followed by equating both equations, we get,

uJ l 1 (u )
K l 1 ( w)
w
J l (u )
K l ( w)
uJ l 1 (u )
K l 1 ( w)
w
J l (u )
K l ( w)

The values of u and w for various values of l and

the corresponding values of may be obtained.
21

For Guided Modes,

2 1
0 b 1

22 ( n12 k 2 ) 2 12 ( n22 k 2 )
2 22
2 n22 k 2
b 2
2 2
2
1 2 n1 k n22 k 2
u 2 w2
b 1 2 2
V
V

For Radiation Modes,

2 22 ( n22 k 2 )
Mode Cut-off,

2
2;
b 0, w 0,
u V Vc

22

uJ l 1 (u )
K l 1 ( w)
w
J l (u )
K l ( w)
For l = 0,

uJ1 (u )
K1 ( w)
w
J 0 (u )
K 0 ( w)

At cut off, b 0, w 0, u V Vc

Cut-off frequencies for first few LP modes

l

m
1

3.832

7.106

10.172

2.405

5.520

8.654

11.790

3.832

7.016

10.173

13.324

5.136

8.417

11.620

14.796

J1 (3.8) 0

Vc J1 (Vc )
0
J 0 (Vc )
J1 (Vc ) 0
Roots of above equation give values of cutoff frequency for l = 0 , and m = 1, 2,3

23

uJ l 1 (u )
K l 1 ( w)
w
J l (u )
K l ( w)
For l = 1,

uJ 0 (u )
K 0 ( w)
w
J1 (u )
K1 ( w)

At cut off, b 0, w 0, u V Vc
Vc J 0 (Vc )
0
J1 (Vc )

Cut-off frequencies for first few LP modes

l

m
1

3.832

7.106

10.172

2.405

5.520

8.654

11.790

3.832

7.016

10.173

13.324

5.136

8.417

11.620

14.796

J 0 (2.4) 0

J 0 (Vc ) 0
Roots of above equation give values of
cut-off frequency for l = 1 , and m = 1,
2,3

24

For l 2,

J l 1 (Vc ) 0,

Vc 0

For l 2, the root Vc = 0 must not be included because,

J l 1 (Vc )
lim 0V
0
V
J l (Vc )

For l 2

Cut-off frequencies for first few LP modes

l

m
1

3.832

7.106

10.172

2.405

5.520

8.654

11.790

3.832

7.016

10.173

13.324

5.136

8.417

11.620

14.796

25

Fractional Modal Power Distribution

Pcore (Const.)

r 0

(r, )

rdrd

J l2 (ur / a)rdr
(Const.)R(a)
cos 2ld
2

r 0
J l (u )
0
2

Pclad (Const.)

r a

(r, ) rdrd
2

K l2 ( wr / a)
(Const.)R(a)
rdr cos 2ld
2
r a
K l ( w)
0
2

where, value of (r,) is substituted and -dependence is taken to be of form cos(l).

J l 1(u ) J l 1 (u )
2
Pcore Ca 1

2
J
(
u
)
l

Pclad

K l 1 ( w) K l 1 ( w)
Ca
1
2
K
(
w
)
l

where, C is constant.

PT Pcore Pclad
K l 1 ( w) K l 1 ( w) w2
1 2
PT Ca
2
K l ( w)

u
2

26

Pcore u 2
K l2 ( w)
w2
2
2
PT
V K l 1 ( w) K l 1 ( w) V

Pclad
Pcore u 2
K l2 ( w)

1
2 1
PT
PT
V K l 1 ( w) K l 1 ( w)
It is interesting to note that for the first two lower modes, power flow is mostly in cladding
near cut off e.g. for LP01, Vc = 0 and Pclad/PT = 1; for LP11, Vc = 2.4 , again Pclad/PT = 1

As V Vc , w 0, and u Vc
l 0 and 1

Pcore
0 lfor
1
for l 2
PT

For instance, for l =2 i.e. say

LP21, at Vc = 3.8,
i.e. for l = 2,
Pcore
l 1/l = 2-1/2
0.5
PT
= 1/2
27

Example 2 (TB)
LP01

LP11

0.347

0.11

V = 3.01

28

Graded Index Fibers

n(r ) n0 1 2(r / a)

n(r ) n0 1 2

1/ 2

where,

(n n
2
0

2
clad

1/ 2

ra

nclad ,

ra

(n0 nclad )
) / 2n
, 1
n0
2
0

n0 is refractive index at r = 0,
nclad is the refractive index of cladding
is the core refractive index profile parameter
Propagation constant of pth mode in GI Fiber,

p
p 0 1 2

Mg

1/ 2

Using WKB (Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin) approximation (Gloge & Marcatalli 1973)

29


p
p 0 1 2

Mg

1/ 2

p 1,2,3,..., M g

where,

0 kn0

Mg represents total number of guided modes given by,

M g k 2 n02 a 2

2
Substituting the values of and k,

1 2
2
2
1/ 2
Mg
a(n0 nclad )
2 2

For GI fiber,

1/ 2
2
2

n (r ) nclad
for r a
NA

0 for r a

2
NA (n02 nclad
)1/ 2

V2
Mg

2 2
30

For a SI fiber, = , n0 = n1 and nclad = n2

2

2
1 2
V

M s a(n12 n22 )1/ 2

2
2

Cut-off Frequency to support a single mode in a GI fiber is given by,

1/ 2

Vc 2.4051

(Okamoto & Okoshi 1976)

31

Limitations of MM Fibers
Pulse dispersion for SI fiber (= )

T n1 n1 n2 n1

L
n2 c
c

Pulse dispersion for GI fiber (= 2)

Pulse dispersion for GI fiber (optimum= 2-2)

T n0 2

L
2c

T n0 2

L 8c

Pulse broadening due to intra-modal dispersion/multipath dispersion,

Varies from 0.05nm/km to 80nm/km, depending on and n0.
Light has several spectral components and group velocity of a mode
varies with frequency. Group Velocity Dispersion (GVD) or intramodal
dispersion

32