Measurement and modeling of the optical transfer function for silica multicore image fibers.

We present a theory of the optical transfer function of silica multicore image fiber that considers the cross talk of fiber elements. Based on the assumption of discrete input and output of light in the fibers, the optical transfer function of one- and two-dimensional silica multicore image fibers is derived systematically. This model is valid for image fibers with strong fiber element cross talk. The results of this model are compared with the experimental measurements. It is shown that this model is more accurate than the conventional model without taking into consideration fiber element cross talk. The applications of optical transfer function to image evaluation are discussed.