Fundamentals of Optical Waveguides is an essential resource for any researcher, professional or student involved in optics and communications engineering. Any reader interested in designing or actively working with optical devices must have a firm grasp of the principles of lightwave propagation. Katsunari Okamoto has presented this difficult technology clearly and concisely with several illustrations and equations. Optical theory encompassed in this reference includes coupled mode theory, nonlinear optical effects, finite element method, beam propagation method, staircase concatenation method, along with several central theorems and formulas. Since the publication of the well-received first edition of this book, planar lightwave circuits and photonic crystal fibers have fully matured. With this second edition the advances of these fibers along with other improvements on existing optical technologies are completely detailed. This comprehensive volume enables readers to fully analyze, design and simulate optical atmospheres. Features: + Exceptional new chapter on Arrayed-Waveguide Grating (AWG) + In depth discussion of Photonic Crystal Fibers (PCFs) + Thorough explanation of Multimode Interference Devices (MMI) + Full coverage of polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) About the Author: Katsunari Okamoto was born in Hiroshima, Japan, on October 19, 1949. He received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in electronic engineering from Tokyo University, Japan, in 1972, 1974, and 1977, respectively. He has engaged in research on the transmission characteristics of various fibers, including PANDA fibers, as well as fiber-optic components, and proposed the idea of dispersion-flattened fibers (DFF) on which he has also experimented. Dr. Okamoto has worked for the Optical Fiber Group in Southampton, England and the NTT Photonics Laboratories at the Ibaraki R&D Center, where he developed various AWGs and integrated-optic add/drop multiplexers. He is a fellow of IEEE and a research fellow of NTT Science and Core Technology Laboratory Group. In 2003, he started Okamoto Laboratory Ltd. Okamoto Laboratory is an R&D consulting company that deals with the custom design of optical fibers and functional planar lightwave circuits.