Mode-field radius of photonic crystal fibers expressed by the V parameter.

We numerically calculate the equivalent mode-field radius of the fundamental mode in a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) and show that this is a function of the V parameter only and not the relative hole size. This dependence is similar to what is found for graded-index standard fibers, and we furthermore show that the relation for the PCF can be excellently approximated with the same general mathematical expression. This is to our knowledge the first semianalytical description of the mode-field radius of a PCF.