A multicore optical fiber comprises a common cladding and a plurality of core portions disposed in the common cladding. Each of the core portions includes a central axis, a core region extending from the central axis to a radius r.sub.1, the core region comprising a relative refractive index Δ.sub.1, an inner cladding region extending from the radius r.sub.1 to a radius r.sub.2, the inner cladding region comprising a relative refractive index Δ.sub.2, and a depressed cladding extending from the radius r.sub.2 to a radius r.sub.3, the depressed cladding region comprising a relative refractive index Δ.sub.3 and a minimum relative refractive index Δ.sub.3 min. The relative refractive indexes may satisfy Δ.sub.1>Δ.sub.2>Δ.sub.3 min. The mode field diameter of each core portion may greater than or equal to 8.2 μm and less than or equal to 9.5 μm.

An optical fiber configured to improve the pump conversion efficiency of an L-band fiber amplifier which uses the multimode pump source. By directly absorbing multimode light including 915 nm, an active fiber core region co-doped with both erbium and ytterbium can provide gain to the L-band signals via stimulated emission. The unwanted C-band amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light generate from this active fiber core region can be absorbed by another active fiber core region doped with erbium, then provides additional gain to the L-band signals. Active regions and cladding can be configured to match a given spatial mode of the optical signal. Signal-pump combiners with end-coupling or side coupling can be used.

An optical fiber includes: a core portion made of glass; and a cladding portion made of glass, having a refractive index lower than the refractive index of the core portion, and positioned on an outer periphery of the core portion. Further, the cladding portion has an outer diameter smaller than 100 μm, and the core portion has a relative refractive-index difference of 0.32% to 0.40% with respect to the cladding portion.

In various embodiments, the beam parameter product and/or beam shape of a laser beam is adjusted by coupling the laser beam into an optical fiber of a fiber bundle and directing the laser beam onto one or more in-coupling locations on the input end of the optical fiber. The beam emitted at the output end of the optical fiber may be utilized to process a workpiece.

A multi-core fiber includes: a plurality of core portions each including a central core portion, an intermediate layer formed on an outer periphery of the central core portion, and a trench layer formed on an outer periphery of the intermediate layer; and a cladding portion formed on an outer periphery of the plurality of core portions, wherein in each of the plurality of core portions, Δ1>Δ2>Δ3 and 0%>Δ3>−0.3% are satisfied, where Δ1 is an average maximum relative refractive-index difference of the central core portion, Δ2 is an average relative refractive-index difference of the intermediate layer, and Δ3 is an average relative refractive-index difference of the trench layer, with respect to the cladding portion.

A method of processing by controlling one or more beam characteristics of an optical beam may include: launching the optical beam into a first length of fiber having a first refractive-index profile (RIP); coupling the optical beam from the first length of fiber into a second length of fiber having a second RIP and one or more confinement regions; modifying the one or more beam characteristics of the optical beam in the first length of fiber, in the second length of fiber, or in the first and second lengths of fiber; confining the modified one or more beam characteristics of the optical beam within the one or more confinement regions of the second length of fiber; and/or generating an output beam, having the modified one or more beam characteristics of the optical beam, from the second length of fiber. The first RIP may differ from the second RIP.

A fiber connector, comprising a housing comprising a region extending in a lengthwise direction an optical fiber disposed in the region, a first portion of the optical fiber comprising an inner core, a cladding layer surrounding the core, and a first outer polymer layer surrounding the cladding layer and a second portion of the optical fiber comprising the inner core, the cladding layer surrounding the core and a second outer polymer layer that is different from the first polymer layer.

An optical fiber filter includes a fiber core, inner cladding, and outer cladding. A refractive index of the fiber core, a refractive index of the inner cladding, and a refractive index of the outer cladding progressively decrease in sequence. The fiber core is configured to transmit at least two mutually different first optical signal modes, the inner cladding is configured to transmit at least two mutually different second optical signal modes, and at least one fiber grating is etched on the fiber core. At least part of optical power of a target first optical signal mode is coupled to only a target second optical signal mode at the fiber grating. The target first optical signal mode is one of the at least two first optical signal modes, and the target second optical signal mode is one of the at least two second optical signal modes.

An optical fiber includes a core and a cladding. An effective area A.sub.eff of light of a fundamental mode, having a wavelength of 1070 nm and propagating through the core, is 500 μm.sup.2 or more. A numerical aperture NA of the core satisfies the following formula:

NA≥(1.3×10.sup.−11×a.sup.4/b.sup.6).sup.1/6

where a (m) is a radius of the core and b (m) is a radius of the cladding. A V value, that is a waveguide parameter of the optical fiber, satisfies the following formula:

V≤1.3583×b.sup.−0.2555.

An MCF according to one embodiment simultaneously achieves excellent economic rationality and high compatibility in short-distance optical transmission. The MCF includes a plurality of core portions, a common cladding, and a resin coating. Each of the core portions includes a core, an inner cladding, and a trench layer. At least four core portions arranged on a straight line have substantially the same relative refractive index difference between the core and the inner cladding. The refractive index profile of a first core portion and a second core portion adjacent to each other among the four core portions has a shape in which the refractive index of the inner cladding is offset with respect to the refractive index of the common cladding so that the magnitude relationship of the refractive index between the inner cladding and the common cladding is reversed.