title: Modal caustics and dispersion mechanism in optical fibers.
abstract: Modal dispersion is explained through the frequency dependence of modal caustics in the ray optics treatment of propagation in multimode optical fibers. Examples are shown for different index profiles that give rise to dispersion equalization or deterioration.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerca sulie Onde Elettromagnetiche, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Checcacci
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Falciai
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Scheggi