Modeling linear and nonlinear transmission in multi-mode fibres

We discuss the modeling of linear and nonlinear propagation in multi-mode optical fibers in the context of optical communications. A generalized Stokes space representation is introduced for handling multi-mode fiber propagation in the presence of mode coupling. Using this formalism, we define the modal dispersion vector and characterize its statistics. We also show that nonlinear propagation in the presence of random mode coupling is described by coupled multi-component Manakov equations, giving rise to interesting new physical phenomena.