Methods for analysis of optical fibers with arbitrary refractive index profile

Two fast and accurate algorithms based on the orthogonal polynomial approximation and the Chebyshev polynomial interpolation for obtaining the actual field solutions of a fiber with arbitrary refractive index profile are presented. These solutions in turn can be used to evaluate the dispersion parameters of the fiber. The numerical methods are compared in terms of their performances, viz., complexity and accuracy. The method based on the orthogonal polynomial approximation (OPA) is simple in principle and easy to implement on a computer, and it has several advantages compared to the method based on the Chebyshev polynomial interpolation (CPI). (c) 2006 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.