Dispersion and bandwidth spectra in single-mode fibers

Bandwidth spectra of single-mode fibers are calculated from experimentally obtained chromatic-dispersion-versus-wavelength curves. Results include second-order effects on bandwidth which depend on the curvature of the dispersion curves. Examples illustrate how bandwidth spectra change as a function of source power spectra. They also show how small changes in fiber dimensions and refractive-index differences can cause significant bandwidth changes at 1.3 μm wavelength.