Impact of Inter-modal Four-Wave Mixing on the Performance of Mode- and Wavelength-Division-Multiplexing Systems

In this paper, we investigate the impact of inter-modal four-wave mixing on mode- and wavelength-division-multiplexing systems. A set of coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations, including linear mode coupling, is derived allowing to isolate the inter-modal four-wave mixing terms. The efficiency of inter-modal four-wave mixing between degenerate LP modes is found to be significantly higher than the intra-modal four-wave mixing efficiency. However, it is shown that the inter-modal four-wave mixing efficiency between degenerate modes is significantly reduced by the linear mode coupling. These data support the publication of the same title.