Abstract

Multimode fibers (MMFs) for telecom systems are typically designed to have high modal bandwidth at a wavelength of 850 nm. The large core diameter and high numerical aperture of the MMF facilitate low-loss and low-cost coupling to laser sources, making these fibers ideal for data centers. These properties also make MMFs versatile enough to be used in non-telecom applications such as distributed strain and temperature sensing. This paper will review some of these applications and discuss how they are enabled by the characteristics of the multimode fiber.

© 2017 Optical Society of America