Abstract:In multimode fiber transmission systems, mode-dependent loss and gain (collectively referred to as MDL) pose fundamental performance limitations. In the regime of strong mode coupling, the statistics of MDL (expressed in decibels or log power gain units) can be described by the eigenvalue distribution of zero-trace Gaussian unitary ensemble in the small-MDL region that is expected to be of interest for practical long-haul transmission. Information-theoretic channel capacities of mode-divisionmultiplexed systems in the presence of MDL are studied, including average and outage capacities, with and without channel state information. 2037-2045 (2008). 16. H. Bülow, "Coherent multichannel transmission over multimode-fiber and related signal processing," Proc.