Effects of Random Birefringence in Multimode Fibers on Nonlinear Ultrashort Pulse Propagation

Abstract: Nonlinear pulse propagation in multimode fibers (MMFs) has attracted significant attention recently due to the rich spatiotemporal nonlinearities and promising applications. In practical scenarios, random birefringence in MMFs cannot be neglected, affecting the polarization-dependent nonlinear pulse propagation. This paper investigates the influence of random birefringence in MMFs on nonlinear ultrashort pulse propagation using a modified generalized multimode nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation. Two scenarios, spatial beam self-cleaning and multimode soliton propagation, are specifically examined. It is found that while random birefringence typically weakens nonlinearity in MMFs, certain nonlinear processes such as soliton self-frequency shift caused by intra-pulse Raman effect exhibit a complex relationship with random birefringence. Moreover, the study reveals that beam self-cleaning can endure random birefringence at high input peak powers. This research provides guidance for practical applications that utilize the nonlinear transmission of ultrashort pulses in MMFs.