Splice loss in dispersion-modified single-mode silica fibers: effect of non-Gaussian fields

The nature of non-Gaussian fields in dispersion-modified single-mode silica fibers is examined to show the limitations of using two well-known Gaussian approximations for the theoretical prediction of splice loss caused by lateral and angular misalignments. To quantitatively evaluate this limitation, four dispersion-modified silica fiber designs were taken from the literature (a single-, a double-, a triple-, and a quadrupole-clad design) and splice losses calculated with Gaussian approximations were compared to that obtained by numerically integrating the overlap integral of the exact field distribution of the fundamental mode. The accuracy of each is discussed.<>