An object of the present invention is to achieve a low delay core applicable to a Master channel of a Master-Slave CPE (MS-CPE) transmission method with a general-purpose refractive index distribution structure.
An optical fiber according to the present invention is a single-mode optical fiber, and has an SI-type refractive index distribution structure, in which a clad region relative refractive index difference Δ (%) with respect to a core region refractive index, a radius a (μm) of the core region, and a group delay time difference Δτ between the Master channel and the Slave channel satisfy “Mathematical Expression 19” and “Mathematical Expression 20”, or



has a W-type refractive index distribution structure, in which a mode field diameter MFD is 9.5 to 10.1 μm, and a relative refractive index difference Δ1 (%) of a low refractive index layer with respect to a core, a relative refractive index difference Δ2 (%) of the clad region with respect to the core, the core radius a1, and the group delay time difference Δτ between the Master channel and the Slave channel satisfy “Mathematical Expression 41”.