Polarization maintaining single-mode fiber delivering a flat top intensity profile

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Photonics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Achieving a flat top intensity profile in single-mode fibers is crucial for applications requiring uniform light distribution.
• Polarization-maintaining (PM) fibers are essential for applications sensitive to light polarization.
• Existing technologies often struggle to combine both flat top profiles and polarization maintenance efficiently.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the first successful fabrication of a polarization-maintaining single-mode fiber with a flat top intensity profile.
• To validate the fiber's performance using experimental data and numerical simulations.
• To explore methods for enhancing the fiber's birefringence properties.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a novel fiber design.
• Experimental characterization including injection shifting and S² imaging to confirm single-mode behavior.
• Numerical simulations to investigate and predict birefringence enhancement.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of a polarization-maintaining single-mode fiber.
• Demonstration of a flat top intensity profile at 1.05 µm.
• Confirmation of high-quality single-mode operation.
• Numerical evidence suggesting potential for increased group birefringence beyond the experimental 0.6x10⁻⁴.

Conclusions:

• The developed fiber successfully integrates polarization maintenance with a flat top intensity profile.
• The results confirm the viability of the fabrication method and the fiber's performance.
• Further optimization of birefringence is numerically feasible, paving the way for advanced optical applications.