Vector finite-element modeling of the full-wave Maxwell equations to evaluate power loss in bent optical fibers

The loss of power incurred by the bending of step-indexed optical fibers is measured is calculated in this paper using vector finite-element modeling of the full-wave Maxwell equations in the optical regime. It is demonstrated that fewer grid elements can be used to model light transmission in longer fiber lengths by using high-order basis functions in conjunction with a high-order energy-conserving time-integration method. The power in the core is measured at several points to determine the percentage loss. The effect of bending on light polarization is also demonstrated.