Mode scrambler

About: Mode scrambler is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 896 publications have been published within this topic receiving 13595 citations.

Axicons for mode conversion in high peak power, higher-order mode, fiber amplifiers.

Abstract: Higher-order mode fiber amplifiers have demonstrated effective areas as large as 6000 μm2, allowing for high pulse energy and peak power amplification. Long-period gratings are used to convert the fundamental mode to the higher-order mode at the entrance to the amplifier, and reconvert back to the fundamental at the exit, to achieve a diffraction limited beam. However, long period gratings are susceptible to nonlinearity at high peak power. In this work, we propose and demonstrate axicons for linear bulk-optic mode conversion at the output of higher order mode amplifiers. We achieve an M2 of less than 1.25 for 80% mode conversion efficiency. Experiments with pulsed amplifiers confirm that the mode conversion is free from nonlinearity. Furthermore, chirp pulse amplifier experiments confirm that HOM amplifiers plus axicon mode convertors provide energy scalability in femtosecond pulses, compared to smaller effective area, fundamental mode fiber amplifiers. We also propose and demonstrate a route towards fiber integration of the axicon mode convertor by fabricating axicons directly on the tip of the fiber amplifier end-cap.

Fiber optical attenuator

Abstract: A fiber optical attenuator utilizing the cut-off phenomenon for single mode propagation of an optical wave down a single mode fiber, comprising an element such as a pixelated liquid crystal element, capable of spatially changing the phase across the cross section of an input optical signal. Such a spatial phase change is equivalent to a change in the mode structure of the propagating wave. The signal propagating in the single mode output fiber is attenuated in accordance with the extent to which higher order modes are mixed into the low order mode originally present. When the mode is completely transformed to higher order modes, the wave is effectively completely blocked from entering the output single-mode fiber, and the attenuation is high. The level of attenuation is determined by the fraction of the wave which is converted to modes other than the lowest order mode, and is thus controllable by the voltage applied to the pixels of the liquid crystal element.

On the dynamics of polarization mode dispersion

Abstract: The PMD dynamics in aerial fiber can be well modeled by highly mode coupled wave-plates via the mode coupling angle fluctuation described by a Gaussian probability transition function. The RMS mode orientation angle undergoes a Brownian motion in aerial fiber. The fitting parameter K is easily measured and used as a single quantity to describe the dynamical nature of a field optical fiber with sufficient statistics. This allows industry to measure and quantify SOP and PMD correlation when field testing optical fibers. We find the K value for aerial fiber is about an order of magnitude larger than that of the buried fiber.

What is a mode in few mode fibers?: Proposal of MIMO-free mode division multiplexing using true eigenmodes

Abstract: The evolution of electromagnetic field profile of LP modes along with the propagation owing to the difference of propagation constants between constituent true eigenmodes is accurately analyzed. It is shown that the mode demultiplexer can’t accurately discriminate the LP mode at the output end and so the MIMO-DSP is inevitable for the mode division multiplexed transmission using LP modes. From the accurate analysis, a transform matrix between LP modes and constituent true eigenmodes is derived and a novel method to configure true eigenmode multi/demultiplexer is proposed to realize MIMO-free transmission.

Fabrication of optical components utilizing a laser

Abstract: A method for fabricating optical components in the cladding of an optical fiber bus by the utilization of a laser. An excimer laser fabricates either an optical coupler opening or an optical mode scrambler by ablatively removing the cladding from the optical core of an optical fiber bus without damaging the optical core. Either coupler housing or a mode scrambler housing is attached to the optical fiber bus where the coupler or mode scrambler is to be fabricated. The coupler housing is used to position the laser, secure and align a coupler fiber, and provide cavities for junction and cladding repair materials. The mode scrambler housing serves a similar purpose.