Plane wave coupling into single-mode fiber in the presence of random angular jitter

Efficient coupling of coherent plane waves into single-mode fibers is a key technology for free-space optical communication at 1550 nm. Here we deal with the influence of random angular jitter on a plane wave to single-mode fiber coupling. The expression of mean-coupling efficiency in the presence of random jitter is handled in the pupil plane. First, an analytical expression of the mean-coupling efficiency is derived for the zero bias error case. Then the bias error was taken into account. By minimizing the coupling efficiency penalty, the optimum value of design parameter beta of fiber-coupled optical systems in the presence of random jitter is obtained. The results obtained here will be useful in facilitating parametric estimation and optimization of fiber-coupled optical systems. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America