An optical fiber has a central axis. The optical fiber includes a core made of silica glass and extending along the central axis, a cladding made of silica glass and surrounding the core, the cladding extending along the central axis, and a coating layer made of resin and surrounding the cladding, the coating layer extending along the central axis. An outer diameter of the cladding varies along the central axis. A residual stress in a direction along the central axis varies along the central axis, the residual stress being averaged over the core and the cladding in a cross section perpendicular to the central axis. A deviation from an average value of the outer diameter and a deviation from an average value of the residual stress have signs opposite to each other.

Optical waveguide cores having refractive index profiles that vary angularly about a propagation axis of the core can provide single-mode operation with larger core diameters than conventional waveguides. An optical waveguide includes a core that extends along a propagation axis and has a refractive index profile that varies angularly about the propagation axis. The optical waveguide also includes a cladding disposed about the core and extending along the propagation axis. The refractive index profile of the core varies angularly along a length of the propagation axis.

A method of manufacturing an optical fiber includes heating a distal end portion of an optical fiber preform made of glass; drawing a glass fiber from the distal end portion softened by the heating; and forming a coating layer made of resin on the glass fiber to form an optical fiber. The drawing includes periodically varying a tension that is applied to the glass fiber to vary a diameter of the glass fiber and a residual stress in an axial direction of the glass fiber so as to be in phases opposite to each other along the axial direction.

Optical waveguide cores having refractive index profiles that vary angularly about a propagation axis of the core can provide single-mode operation with larger core diameters than conventional waveguides. An optical waveguide includes a core that extends along a propagation axis and has a refractive index profile that varies angularly about the propagation axis. The optical waveguide also includes a cladding disposed about the core and extending along the propagation axis. The refractive index profile of the core varies angularly along a length of the propagation axis.

A method of drawing an optical fiber may include directing an optical fiber comprising an alkali dopant through an inlet of a slow cooling device to a first zone within the slow cooling device and cooling the optical fiber in the first zone, wherein a first residence time t.sub.1 of the optical fiber in the first zone may be greater than or equal to 0.03 sec. The method may further include directing the optical fiber from the first zone to a second zone within the slow cooling device and cooling the optical fiber in the second zone, wherein a second residence time t.sub.2 in the second zone may be greater than the first residence time t.sub.1. A Rayleigh scattering coefficient of the optical fiber drawn may be less than 0.75 dB/km*micron.sup.4, and an attenuation of the optical fiber drawn may be less than 0.16 dB/km at 1550 nm.