Experimental demonstration of visualized multi-core fiber coupling alignment system for inter-core cross talk...

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Telecommunications

Background:

• Multi-core fibers (MCF) are crucial for increasing communication capacity.
• Precise alignment of input light beams to individual fiber cores is a significant challenge in MCF systems.
• Inter-core crosstalk can degrade signal quality and system performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a novel, visualized scheme for coupling alignment in MCFs.
• To develop a method for accurate inter-core crosstalk measurement in MCFs.
• To assess the efficiency and flexibility of the proposed alignment and measurement scheme.

Main Methods:

• Experimental demonstration of a visualized MCF coupling alignment setup.
• Measurement of the inter-core crosstalk matrix using a bent 20-m 5-core fiber.
• Validation of the scheme's ability to allow for easy replacement of the coupled MCF.

Main Results:

• Successful visualization and alignment of input light beams to MCF cores.
• Quantification of inter-core crosstalk using a measured crosstalk matrix.
• Demonstration of the scheme's efficiency and simplicity in characterizing MCF performance.

Conclusions:

• The proposed scheme offers a flexible and simple solution for visualized MCF coupling alignment and crosstalk measurement.
• This technique can be valuable for optimizing MCF-based optical communication systems.
• The method shows potential for applications in MCF-based sensing.