Solution of mode coupling in step-index optical fibers by the Fokker-Planck equation and the Langevin equation.

The power-flow equation is approximated by the Fokker-Planck equation that is further transformed into a stochastic differential (Langevin) equation, resulting in an efficient method for the estimation of the state of mode coupling along step-index optical fibers caused by their intrinsic perturbation effects. The inherently stochastic nature of these effects is thus fully recognized mathematically. The numerical integration is based on the computer-simulated Langevin force. The solution matches the solution of the power-flow equation reported previously. Conceptually important steps of this work include (i) the expression of the power-flow equation in a form of the diffusion equation that is known to represent the solution of the stochastic differential equation describing processes with random perturbations and (ii) the recognition that mode coupling in multimode optical fibers is caused by random perturbations.