General Time-Domain Representation of Chromatic Dispersion in Single-Mode Fibers

In this letter, an analytical method in time domain for calculation of the effect of chromatic dispersion (CD) in a single-mode fiber is presented. By using Fourier series representation of a general pulse approach, the CD effect could be obtained for arbitrary pulse shapes. As one improvement beyond the commonly used models, this work provides an analytical way to calculate the required number of taps for a finite impulse response filter equalizer without the need for empirical values. As an example, the spreading of a pulse carved by a Mach-Zehnder interferometer in an optical communication system is calculated. The novel analytical expression is in good agreement with other published results.