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Transmission of Multiple Signals through an Optical Fiber Using Wavefront Shaping
Published on: March 20, 2017
Time-domain multimode dispersion measurement in a higher-order-mode fiber
Ji Cheng1, Martin E V Pedersen, Ke Wang
1School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA. jc875@cornell.edu
Optics Letters
|February 3, 2012
Summary
A new time-of-flight technique measures multimode fiber dispersion. This simpler method accurately characterizes higher-order modes, matching designed anomalous dispersion values.
Area of Science:
- Optical Fiber Communications
- Photonics and Waveguide Technology
Background:
- Characterizing modal delay and group velocity dispersion (GVD) in few-mode fibers (FMFs) is crucial for advanced optical systems.
- Existing dispersion measurement techniques, such as frequency-domain and interferometry-based methods, can be complex and time-consuming.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel, simplified technique for simultaneously measuring the modal delay and GVD of all excited modes in FMFs.
- To validate the technique by characterizing a newly designed higher-order-mode fiber (HOMF).
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a time-of-flight (TOF) approach with a tunable pulsed laser and a high-speed sampling oscilloscope.
- Simultaneously capturing the arrival times of different optical modes propagating through the FMF.
Main Results:
- Successfully measured the modal delay and GVD for all excited modes in the FMF.
- Characterized a HOMF, demonstrating large anomalous dispersion in the LP(02) mode.
- Experimental results closely matched the designed dispersion values for the HOMF.
Conclusions:
- The developed TOF-based technique offers a significantly simpler and more practical alternative for multimode dispersion characterization.
- This method enables efficient validation of FMF designs, particularly those with specific dispersion properties like large anomalous dispersion.
