Abstract

It is well know /1/ that analytical ray tracing in GRIN rods has been successful, so far, for a limited number of index profiles. This lead to the development of very satisfactory numerical techniques (e.g., see again /1/). Nevertheless, enlarging the class of media which can be studied analytically remains an interesting goal. Recently, we investigated /2/ analytical modal solutions of the scalar wave equation in cylindrical waveguides, where the index is proportional to r^-2 (r = radius, cylindrical coordinates). This model, which was first proposed by Marcatili /3/ for analyzing lossless tapers and bends, turns out to be useful also for studying waveguides where the index profile is not circularly symmetrical /4/. Here, we report on the analysis of the same index distribution, under the viewpoint of ray tracing.

© 1987 Optical Society of America