Polarization-Maintaining Multi-Core Optical Fiber

An optical fiber comprising:

• a cladding region;
• a contiguous signal region enclosed by the cladding region;
• a plurality of light-conducting core regions that extend, mutually spaced, along a longitudinal extension of the optical fiber, wherein the plurality of light-conducting core regions are all located inside the contiguous signal region in a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber;
• and
• a plurality of stress elements located outside the contiguous signal region in the cross-sectional view of the optical fiber, the plurality of stress elements configured to generate a mechanical stress field in the optical fiber, wherein each core region of the plurality of light-conducting core regions is subjected by the plurality of stress elements to a mechanical stress causing birefringence and thus polarization-maintaining behavior, wherein one main polarization axis is assigned with each core region of the plurality of light-conducting core regions
• and, wherein the mechanical stress field generated by an arrangement of the plurality of stress elements causes the main polarization axes to point in the same direction in all core regions.