| Abstract
| - Abstract. Ray theory is used here to analyse the effect of random distortion of an optical fibre waveguide on the propagation of electromagnetic waves. In this first part, the case of step index guide is looked at in depth and agreement is found between this method and Marcuse and Gloge's theories of mode coupling. A fairly rigorous approach will be developed in this first paper in order to assess the possibility of the method. Part II will be devoted, in a more speculative fashion, to the study of random coupling in general graded fibres.
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