Applicability of standard 125 um-cladding multi-core fiber for wide-band and long-haul transmission

We numerically show the applicability of standard 125 μm-cladding multi-core fiber (MCF) to long-haul and wide-band transmission in the S+C+L band. Although expanding the single-mode bandwidth is an effective way to increase the transmission capacity, the shortened cut-off wavelength degrades the XT and the Aeff. We numerically determine the optimum design of a four-core fiber with W-shape index profile considering the tradeoff relationship among the cut-off wavelength, Aeff, and XT. We show the design and applicability of a standard 125 μm-cladding MCF for S+C+L band transmission over long-haul distance of 1000 km and above with larger Aeff is possible from conventional single-mode fiber.