Bend-Induced Distortion in Large Mode Area Holey Fibre

A simplified scheme of bend-induced mode distortion is introduced into bent holey fibres, the distorted mode distribution and mode effective area reduction are investigated using the finite difference method. Numerical results show that the modes of bent holey fibres with small bend radius shift away from the core and are deformed greatly, and the mode areas drop significantly as the bend radius decreases, which severely affects the fibre laser performance. The propagation characteristics of bent holey fibres atgiven wavelength are determined by fill factor and normalized bend radius. Finally, the transition normalized bend radius that represents the location of the mode area beginning to fall off is obtained.