Patent ID: 8326105

Claim:
A multi-core optical fiber, comprising: a plurality of core portions; and a cladding portion positioned around the plurality of core portions and including a single marker for identifying a position of each core portion, of the plurality of core portions, wherein the plurality of core portions is symmetrically arranged with respect to a center of a cross-section of the multi-core optical fiber, the marker is offset from any axis of symmetry formed with respect to the arrangement of the plurality of core portions such that a specific direction around a periphery of the cladding portion is identifiable by an arrangement of the marker, a distance of the marker from the center of the cross-section of the multi-core fiber is longer than a distance of a farthest core portion from the center of the cross-section of the multi-core fiber, and an entirety of the marker is provided inside a periphery of the cross-section.