High-resolution cylindrical vector beams sorting based on spin-dependent fan-out optical geometric transformation.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Optical Communication Systems

Background:

• Single-mode fiber capacity is limited by growing data demands.
• Cylindrical vector beams (CVBs) offer increased capacity in optical communication through multiplexing.
• Existing CVB sorters face resolution limitations, causing crosstalk in multiplexing channels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the spatial resolution of CVB sorters.
• To suppress crosstalk in CVB multiplexing channels.
• To enable higher capacity optical communication.

Main Methods:

• Introduction of fan-out structures into spin-dependent optical geometric transformation for high-resolution CVB sorting.
• Utilizing a cylindrical lens to modify output beams to a Gaussian shape.
• Experimental demonstration of sorting 4 coaxial CVB channels to a standard multimode fiber array.

Main Results:

• Achieved high-resolution sorting of CVBs, significantly suppressing crosstalk compared to original designs.
• Successfully demonstrated the sorting of 4 coaxial CVB channels.
• Developed a numerical model for free-space to integrated waveguide array demultiplexing.

Conclusions:

• The proposed fan-out structure enhances CVB sorter resolution, mitigating crosstalk issues.
• This advancement is crucial for realizing high-capacity optical communication systems.
• The technology shows potential for both fiber-based and free-space optical demultiplexing applications.