Coupled waves on optical fibers by power conservation

Using only power conservation, the authors derive the coupling coefficients of coupled-mode theory and a new power conservation law. The derivation provides physical insight into the mechanism of wave coupling on optical fibers. It shows explicitly that the coupled-mode approximation is not generally applicable to Maxwell's equations, since the polarizability of perturbations is omitted. Examples include nonlinear fiber couplers and fiber nonuniformities, with emphasis on their polarization characteristics. An important class of unsolved problems is revealed.>