We apply an operator method, based on the scalar wave equation, to study the propagation of a Gaussian light beam in an optical fibre with an arbitrary, elliptically symmetric refractive-index profile. We discover that ray optical results, while not capable of predicting the rapid distortion of an optical beam in a non-ideal refractive-index profile, successfully simulate the general form of the optical power distributions, even in non-ideal profiles. We find that the propagation patterns for elliptical fibres with and without a strongly scattering central index dip show several unexpected similarities.
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