Design of Multi-Core Integrated Wavelength-Selective Switch, and its System Benefits

Abstract

Strong mixing in mode division multiplexed fiber is advantageous in many aspects. Its averaging effect reduces group delay spread, mode dependent loss (MDL), and accumulated nonlinearity. We demonstrated in the past that it also broadens the passband of cascaded few-mode WSS passages. In this paper, we analyze the performance of multicore WSS, and the favorable impact of strong coupling for MCF-WSS cascades, taking into account the asymmetry of the MCF.