Exact modeling of photonic crystal fibers for determination of fundamental properties

Abstract We present a simple but highly accurate modeling technique for real photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) characterization. We determine the influence caused by idealized model parameters. Our technique can be applied to arbitrary PCF air-hole structures, as it takes into account all structural distortions. It requires only an image of the PCF cross-section to create an accurate PCF model. Model outputs are presented in comparison with the measurement of chromatic dispersion curve and the effective mode area. We provide a study on the impact of imprecise determination of glass refractive index on the PCF model accuracy. We demonstrate how the simplification of the air-hole deformations can influence the chromatic dispersion curve. Finally, we show the effect of precise PCF modeling on example of supercontinuum generation.