Fiber waveguide arrays as model system for discrete optics

Optical waveguide arrays consisting of a two-dimensional arrangement of weakly coupled waveguides represent the basis of the new research field of discrete optics. For studying the nonlin-ear pulse dynamics, fiber waveguide arrays offer specific advantages such as a high optical damage threshold and an accessible range of anomalous dispersion. Coherent coupling of such waveguides for reasonable propagation lengths requires, however, a high structural quality of the waveguides and their superstructure, which is beyond conventional fiber technology. Design, fabrication and characterization of such a fiber waveguide array are described. The linear propagation properties in such a system are modeled and compared with experimental measurements. The high structural homogeneity and good optical quality of the arrays as well as the limitsof the nearest-neighbor ap-proximation are demonstrated.