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Geometric requirements for photonic lanterns in space division multiplexing
Nicolas K Fontaine1, Roland Ryf, Joss Bland-Hawthorn
1Bell Laboratories, Alcatel-Lucent, Holmdel, NJ 07733, USA. nicolas.fontaine@alcatel-lucent.com
Optics Express
|November 29, 2012
Summary
Photonic lanterns enable efficient interfacing in space-division multiplexing (SDM) systems. Optimizing core arrangements minimizes loss, enhancing fiber optic communication capacity and performance.
Area of Science:
- Optical Engineering
- Telecommunications
Background:
- Space-division multiplexing (SDM) systems require efficient methods to interface multiple single-mode fibers with multi-mode fibers.
- Minimizing coupling loss and mode-dependent loss is crucial for maximizing the utilization of spatial modes in SDM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate photonic lanterns as adiabatic mode converters for SDM systems.
- To analyze the throughput, mode-dependent loss, and coupling efficiency of photonic lanterns.
Main Methods:
- Modal analysis
- Beam propagation method
- Transfer matrix technique
Main Results:
- Unitary coupling between single-mode and multi-mode fibers is achievable through optimized core arrangements in photonic lanterns.
- Simulations demonstrated the performance of lanterns with varying core counts (3, 12, 15, 51) for coupling to different numbers of spatial and polarization modes (6, 24, 30, 102).
Conclusions:
- Photonic lanterns are effective adiabatic mode converters for SDM.
- Optimized core arrangement in photonic lanterns is key to achieving high-fidelity mode conversion and minimizing losses.
