Three dimensional optical fiber simulation

We have described measures which can be taken to make a full 3D simulation of an optical fiber possible. The simulation of a 3D optical fiber via the FDTD method is computationally much more intense than other methods, such as Gaussian beam diffraction or the generalized nonlinear Schroedinger equation. However, these methods make substantial approximations, usually by taking a slowly varying envelope rather than the actual fields. The FDTD method calculates the electric and magnetic fields explicitly at every point in the problem space. It is hoped that this explicit information will lend more insight into the physical processes that will lead to the development of nonlinear switching mechanisms.