Single-Mode Pulse Dispersion in Optical Waveguides

The limitations of a widely used method for analyzing pulse distortion in a single-mode waveguiding structure are derived. The results are applied to propagation in optical waveguides, and for cases where material dispersion is dominated by a broad resonance line, pulse attenuation is found to be much more serious than the broadening of the pulse. In extremely low-loss regions, however, other effects may cause the reverse to be true.