Impact of structural irregularities on high bit rate pulse compression techniques in photonic crystal fibre

The impact of structural irregularities on high bit rate pulse compression techniques is evaluated in photonic crystal fibre. Specifically, more robust pulse compression to longitudinal fluctuations in the normal dispersion regime is reported. The physical limits of these pulse compression techniques in the presence of dispersion fluctuations are identified and the fact that state-of-the-art fabrication tolerances are sufficient for future experimental applications is confirmed.