Autocorrelation function of channel matrix in few-mode fibers with strong mode coupling

Channel matrix plays a critical role in receiver design and ultimate channel performance. To fully describe the channel matrix of a few-mode fiber (FMF), we choose the generalized high-dimensional Gell-Mann matrices, an equivalent of the 2-dimensional Pauli matrices used for a single-mode fiber (SMF), as the basis for the channel matrix decomposition. The frequency dependence of channel matrix can be studied in terms of the autocorrelation function (ACF), showing how fast channel changes in frequency domain. In this paper, we derive a canonical stochastic differential equation (SDE) for the FMF channel matrix in the regime of strong coupling. With the SDE, we develop an analytical form for the ACF of FMF channel matrix, from which the channel correlation bandwidth is obtained. (c) 2013 Optical Society of America