Nonlinear propagation of pulses in multimode fiber with strong linear coupling

Abstract

Multimode fiber has a richer spatial dimension than single-mode fiber, and is an ideal platform for studying many novel nonlinear effects. We established a strong linear coupling and short-range fiber model to understand the interactive effects of linear coupling and nonlinear effects. We find that strong linear coupling can compensate for the group delay between eigenmodes and cause energy fluctuation between modes which weakens the nonlinear effects. In high energy pulses, the interaction of linear coupling and nonlinear effects can help producing weak dispersion waves when the spectrum is broadened. Since linear coupling in a mode group is common and unavoidable, these results may provide a certain theoretical explanation for multi-mode nonlinear phenomena.