Analysis Of Intercore Crosstalk Of Wdm Channels Around Zero-Dispersion Wavelength In Homogeneous Multicore Fibers

We present a numerical analysis of the average intercore crosstalk (IC-XT) of wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) optical channels in a homogeneous two-core fiber system. This analysis is performed considering cores with zero-dispersion wavelengths at 1550 nm. In the analysis, we consider 11 WDM channels spaced 100 GHz apart transmitted in three different schemes, one centered at 1510 nm with negative dispersion D = -3.5 ps/nm . km, one centered at 1550 nm with D = 0, and one centered at 1590 nm with D = +3.5 ps/nm . km. This selection allows for the observation of how the IC-XT of WDM channels is modified using positive, zero, and negative dispersion parameters. To analyze more realistic scenarios of IC-XT in multicore fibers, we considered random bending and twisting perturbations along the fiber. In addition, we considered fiber nonlinearities such as four-wave mixing (FWM) among WDM channels. The results show that FWM produces a power transfer among the transmitted WDM channels that depends on the dispersion parameter D at core 1, and this effect is transferred to the average crosstalk of the WDM channels at core 2. Therefore, the average IC-XT of WDM channels can be modified in a controlled way by selecting an adequate dispersion parameter D in combination with FWM nonlinearity. These results provide valuable information for understanding the wavelength dependence of the average IC-XT of homogeneous multichannel MCF systems working around a zero-dispersion wavelength. (C) 2021 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)