Mode Converter Research Articles

A high‐performance dual‐polarized corrugated horn for a compact antenna test range system

AbstractA high‐performance dual‐polarized horn antenna for a 5G millimeter wave compact antenna test range system (CATR) is proposed in this article. The feed antenna is mainly composed of a double‐ridged waveguide junction orthomode transducer (OMT), mode converter, and corrugated horn antenna. Among them, the OMT is the key device for the feed antenna to achieve dual polarization characteristics, and adopts a modular design method to apply the multi‐section impedance transformer in the vertical and horizontal polarization channels with good transmission characteristics. The corrugated horn antenna generates a symmetrical radiation pattern mainly in six corrugated slots. The proposed dual‐polarized corrugated horn antenna impedance matching bandwidth (VSWR < 2) is 24–50 GHz. Moreover, the measured gain is 10–12 dBi, and the measured cross‐polarization level is less than −30 dB within the operating frequency range. Meanwhile, the half‐power beamwidth radiation pattern in the whole operating band has a good symmetry and the beamwidth in both E‐ and H‐plane remains stable. As a practical application, the designed antenna is used as the feed of the CATR system. The measured results show that the amplitude distribution in the quiet zone (QZ) is within ±1 dB, the phase distribution is within ±8°, and the cross‐polarization isolation is better than 27 dB. The performance of the QZ is conducive to the use of the CATR system.

Multiple core modes conversion using helical long-period fiber gratings.

We propose and demonstrate the fabrication of an all-fiber mode converter enabling simultaneous generation of multiple high-order core modes, which is realized by inscribing a helical long-period grating (HLPG) in a few-mode fiber (FMF) using a femtosecond laser. Helical refractive index modulation is introduced by continuously irradiating the core region with a highly focused femtosecond laser, while the fiber moves in a spiral path through a three-dimensional translation stage. Mode conversion from the LP01 mode to high-order core modes, including LP11, LP21, LP31, LP02, LP12, and LP41 modes, is achieved by controlling the inscription pitch of the grating. Moreover, first-, second-, third-, and fourth-order orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes can be directly generated using the HLPGs, and multiple OAM modes of different topological charges can be simultaneously excited using a single high diffraction order HLPG. This approach offers a new option for implementing with high-integration high-order mode converters or OAM mode generators.

Helicity and topological charge tunable optical vortex based on a Hermite-Gaussian beam dynamically controlled folded-cavity resonator

Helicity and topological charge are two important characteristic parameters for vortex beam applications, including optical communications, optical manipulation and material processing, etc. In this work, a helicity and topological charge tunable vortex laser based on a folded resonant cavity is presented. In the resonant cavity, a Z-shaped structure is adopted and two deformable mirrors (DMs) are cascaded into the cavity as intro-cavity modulation elements. By applying different voltage combinations to the DMs, the Hermite-Gaussian (HG) beam with different indices and distribution orientations θ could be generated from the Z-shaped folded-cavity resonator. An extra-cavity astigmatic mode converter is adopted to convert the generated HG beam to the corresponding vortex beam with tunable helicity and topological charge, and the simulation results verified the feasibility of the presented vortex laser. In the experiment, the HGm,0θ beam (m = 1 to 10 and θ = −90 ° to 90 °]) and the vortex beam (topological charge l from ±1 to ±10 and left/right helicity) were flexibly achieved by simply adjusting the driving voltage combinations of the intra-cavity cascaded DMs.

Unidirectional beam splitting in acoustic metamaterial governed by double fractional stimulated Raman adiabatic passage

In this work, we take fractional stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (f-STIRAP) for the design of functional acoustic waveguide (WG) coupler into account. Assisted by the agreement in the form between Schrödinger equation in quantum mechanics and the coupled-mode equation of classical waves, the quantum three-level system is mapped onto the acoustic three-WG system with space-varying coupling actions between composing WGs. The output port of the coupler can be selected by adopting different superposition forms of incident waves, which is utilized to build a one-way acoustic mode converter based on double f-STIRAP. By further constructing a functional acoustic metamaterial arrayed by mode converters, a desired beam splitting behavior can be generated unidirectionally in a broadband. Our work bridges f-STIRAP and the design of acoustic metamaterial, which may have profound impacts on exploring quantum technologies for promoting advanced acoustic functional devices with simple configuration and excellent performance.

Molecular dynamics simulation on phase transition behaviors of R410A liquid film over solid copper surface

Currently, two-phase transition as a preferred heat transfer mode has gained great attention in thermal engineering. However, the phase transition performance of liquid film is highly affected by the components, and the studies of refrigerant mixtures is still needed to be explored in depth. In this paper, molecular dynamics simulation method is employed to study the vaporization processes of R410A mixture under various temperature conditions. Here, R410A liquid film is first heated by the bottom substrate and then is condensed on the upper part of copper surface. The results reveal that only the evaporation phenomenon takes place on the solid wall with temperature below 300 K, while the bubble nucleus appears as temperature rises to 350 K, leading to heat transfer mode converting into explosive boiling. Meanwhile, the phase transition rate performs a positive exponential relationship in terms of heating temperatures. Furthermore, the density, potential energy, and temperature distributions are also analyzed to interpret the simulation results. These indicate that high-temperature is more favorable for breaking the potential restriction and enhancing the heat transfer of explosive boiling. The finding is also helpful to provide significant insights into the nanoscale phase transition and relevant mechanisms of liquid refrigerant mixtures.

On-Chip E00-E20 Mode Converter Based on Multi-Mode Interferometer.

Mode converters is a key component in mode-division multiplexing (MDM) systems, which plays a key role in signal processing and multi-mode conversion. In this paper, we propose an MMI-based mode converter on 2%-Δ silica PLC platform. The converter transfers E00 mode to E20 mode with high fabrication tolerance and large bandwidth. The experimental results show that the conversion efficiency can exceed -1.741 dB with the wavelength range of 1500 nm to 1600 nm. The measured conversion efficiency of the mode converter can reach -0.614 dB at 1550 nm. Moreover, the degradation of conversion efficiency is less than 0.713 dB under the deviation of multimode waveguide length and phase shifter width at 1550 nm. The proposed broadband mode converter with high fabrication tolerance is promising for on-chip optical network and commercial applications.

Design of a bidirectional TM01(TE01)-LP01 mode converter with a metasurface-on-fiber.

Mode conversion is crucial for coupling a light source to a desired waveguide. While traditional mode converters such as fiber Bragg gratings and long-period fiber gratings exhibit high transmission and conversion efficiency, the mode conversion of two orthogonal polarizations remains challenging. Here, we present a bidirectional metasurface mode converter that can convert the transverse electric (TE)01 or transverse magnetic (TM)01 mode to the fundamental mode (LP01) with orthogonal polarization, and vice versa. The mode converter is located on a facet of a few-mode fiber and connected to a single mode fiber. Through simulations, we find that 99.9% of the TM01 or TE01 mode is converted into the x- or y-polarized LP01 mode, and that 99.96% of the x- or y-polarized LP01 mode is converted to the TM01 or TE01 mode. Furthermore, we expect a high transmission of over 84.5% for all mode conversions, up to 88.7% for TE01 to y-polarized LP01 conversion.

Mode Dependence of Refractive Index Sensitivity of Long-Period Fiber Gratings Induced by Periodically Embedded Multimode Fiber

In this paper, we present and verify the mode dependence of refractive index (RI) sensitivity of long-period fiber grating induced by periodically embedded multimode fiber (PEM-LPFG). The PEM-LPFG is firstly fabricated by periodically embedding multimode fiber (MMF) into the single mode fiber (SMF). The resonant mode is translated by reducing the cladding. Numerical simulations based on beam propagation method (BPM) are applied to calculate the transmission spectrum, mode distribution, and RI sensitivities of the PEM-LPFG. The cladding diameter after etching is determined to be 89 μm and 68 μm, which corresponds to the mode translated from LP <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">012</sub> to LP <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">07</sub> and LP <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">05</sub> , respectively. The experimental results indicate that the maximum refractive index sensitivity of 1322.26 nm/RIU in the range of 1.333 -1.437 RIU is achieved when the resonant mode is LP <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">07</sub> , which is 4 times as large as the original one (325.58 nm/RIU @ LP <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">012</sub> mode). PEM-LPFG working at LP <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">05</sub> mode exhibits a lower sensitivity of 844.72 nm/RIU. All of the experimental results are in good agreement with the simulation. The RI sensitivity optimization of PEM-LPFG is able to realize by mode converting. Furthermore, the temperature responses are measured to be 13 pm/°C and 4 pm/°C. This work provides a theoretical reference and experimental evidence for the dependence of the PEM-LPFG RI sensitivity on the resonant mode for the first time.

High-power femtosecond vortices generated from a Kerr-lens mode-locked solid-state Hermite-Gaussian oscillator.

We report the generation of high-order transverse modes from a Kerr-lens mode-locked femtosecond laser. Two different orders of Hermite-Gaussian modes were realized by non-collinear pumping, which were converted into the corresponding Laguerre-Gaussian vortex modes using a cylindrical lens mode converter. The mode-locked vortex beams, with an average power of 1.4 W and 0.8 W, contained pulses as short as 126 fs and 170 fs at the first and second Hermite-Gaussian mode orders, respectively. This work demonstrates the possibility of developing Kerr-lens mode-locked bulk lasers with various pure high-order modes and paves the way for generating ultrashort vortex beams.

Metal‐Insulator‐Metal Waveguide Plasmonic Sensor System for Refractive Index Sensing Applications

Plasmonic sensors are well known for their miniaturized size and high sensitivity. Herein, a numerical analysis of a metal‐insulator‐metal (MIM) waveguide (WG) for refractive index (RI) sensing applications is proposed. The sensing device is composed of a MIM bus WG with a semicircular formation side coupled to a semicircular cavity. This configuration provides a transmission dip with a high extinction ratio as compared to the standard MIM WG side‐coupled to a semicircular cavity. Moreover, the mode converters are also embedded in the sensing system solving the obstacle of light coupling to the MIM plasmonic WG. The sensitivity of the proposed device is ≈941.33 nm RIU−1, making it a promising candidate to be employed in point‐of‐care (POC) testing. This typically involves the use of portable or handheld diagnostic devices that can quickly analyze samples of blood, urine, or other bodily fluids to diagnose diseases or conditions such as infections, diabetes, or heart disease.

Multi-frequency, megawatt-power gyrotron to facilitate a wide range of operations at ITER

High-power (1 MW), long-pulse operations up to 300 s were demonstrated by multi-frequency oscillations at 170 GHz, 137 GHz, and 104 GHz. A multi-frequency gyrotron based on the design of the ITER gyrotron has been developed and studied. By redesigning the built-in mode convertor and internal mirrors of the ITER gyrotron, the internal scattered power of the gyrotron was reduced while maintaining the same output beam size and beam direction for the three frequencies. In addition, the mirrors of a matching optics unit were designed to efficiently couple the RF beam at 170 GHz, 137 GHz, and 104 GHz oscillations to a waveguide 50 mm in diameter, the same size that will be used in ITER. An HE 11 mode content of ∼94% was achieved for the three frequencies. Output powers of 1 MW at 170 GHz and 137 GHz, and 0.9 MW at 104 GHz were demonstrated up to 300 s. These oscillation frequencies can facilitate in a wide range of toroidal magnetic field operations at ITER, including plasma start-up and electron heating and current drive.

Design and experimental results of a 28 GHz, 400 kW gyrotron for electron cyclotron resonance heating

A high-power 28 GHz gyrotron has been successfully developed at the Institute of Applied Electronics, China Academy of Engineering Physics. This gyrotron was designed for electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) in the spherical tokamak XL-50. A diode magnetron injection gun was designed to produce the required gyrating electron beam. The gyrotron operates in the TE8,3 mode in a cylindrical open cavity. An internal quasi-optical mode converter was designed to convert the operating mode into a fundamental Gaussian wave beam and separate the spent electron beam from the outgoing microwave power. A tube has been built and successfully tested. The operational frequency of the tube is 28.1 GHz. For beam parameters at an accelerating voltage of 71 kV and beam current of 16 A, the gyrotron has delivered an output power of 400 kW, with a pulse length of 5 s. The output efficiency is about 50% with a single-stage depressed collector. The gyrotron has been installed on the XL-50 and has played an important role in the ECRH experiments.

Cascaded mode converter for generating high-order Poincaré sphere beams of multiple different orders

Structured light fields, especially high-order Poincaré sphere (HOPS) beams, are attracting increasing attention for their intriguing properties and extensive applications. Here, we demonstrate a cascaded mode converter for generating HOPS beams of different orders. The cascaded mode converter is composed of q-plates and half waveplates, which realize switchable generation of HOPS beams of multiple different orders with reliable performance. Exponential growth of the available number of HOPS beams of different orders is achieved. The local polarization state and the order of the HOPS beams can be used as two degrees of freedom to encode 2 bits of information. The proposed method makes it possible to generate multiple and ultrahigh order Poincaré sphere beams and may have potential application in communication systems.

Imaging and Mode Content Analysis of the Wave Beam From a Short-Pulse High-Power Gyrotron Using the Millimeter-Wave-Induced Gas Breakdown Initiated by a Metal–Dielectric Screen

The wave beam of a sub-terahertz (THz) gyrotron with a pulsed magnetic field was imaged in a single pulse using a microwave-induced gas breakdown initiated by a metal–dielectric (MD) screen. Images of sub-THz beams, which were recorded at the output of a quasi-optical mode converter, were compared with data obtained by numerical simulation of propagation and transformation of the wave beam from the gyrotron. The analysis of the waveguide mode content in the gyrotron was done. Based on experimental and simulation data, it was shown that the distortion of the sub-THz wave beam is caused by the deformation of the Teflon window at the gyrotron output. Based on the results of the study, the gyrotron was modified, and the quality of its wave beam was improved.

Inverse design of nanophotonic devices using dynamic binarization.

The complexity of applications addressed with photonic integrated circuits is steadily rising and poses increasingly challenging demands on individual component functionality, performance and footprint. Inverse design methods have recently shown great promise to address these demands using fully automated design procedures that enable access to non-intuitive device layouts beyond conventional nanophotonic design concepts. Here we present a dynamic binarization method for the objective-first algorithm that lies at the core of the currently most successful inverse design algorithms. Our results demonstrate significant performance advantages over previous implementations of objective first algorithms, which we show for a fundamental TE00 to TE20 waveguide mode converter both in simulation and in experiments with fabricated devices.

Direct laser-written aperiodic photonic volume elements for complex light shaping with high efficiency: inverse design and fabrication

Light plays a central role in many applications. The key to unlocking its versatility lies in shaping it into the most appropriate form for the task at hand. Specifically tailored refractive index modifications, directly manufactured inside glass using a short pulsed laser, enable an almost arbitrary control of the light flow. However, the stringent requirements for quantitative knowledge of these modifications, as well as for fabrication precision, have so far prevented the fabrication of light-efficient aperiodic photonic volume elements (APVEs). Here, we present a powerful approach to the design and manufacturing of light-efficient APVEs. We optimize application-specific three-dimensional arrangements of hundreds of thousands of microscopic voxels and manufacture them using femtosecond direct laser writing inside millimeter-sized glass volumes. We experimentally achieve unprecedented diffraction efficiencies up to 80%, which is enabled by precise voxel characterization and adaptive optics during fabrication. We demonstrate APVEs with various functionalities, including a spatial mode converter and combined intensity shaping and wavelength multiplexing. Our elements can be freely designed and are efficient, compact, and robust. Our approach is not limited to borosilicate glass but is potentially extendable to other substrates, including birefringent and nonlinear materials, giving a preview of even broader functionalities, including polarization modulation and dynamic elements.

Tunable mode convertor based on fiber Bragg grating inscribed in graded-index nine-mode fiber.

A tunable mode convertor is experimentally demonstrated based on a fiber Bragg grating (FBG), which is fabricated in a graded-index nine-mode fiber by using a femtosecond laser. Nine linearly polarized (LP) modes were excited and the coupling efficiency of them can reach 90%. By adjusting the polarization controller, the ±1st-, ±2nd-, ±3rd-, and ±4th-order orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes were excited, which means the OAM tuning of 0-±1ℏ, 0-±2ℏ, 0-±3ℏ, and 0-±4ℏ were achieved. LP21/LP02, LP31/LP12, LP41/LP22/LP03 modes were successfully tuned at 1556.00 nm, 1555.10 nm, and 1554.25 nm by twisting the FBG, respectively. Moreover, combined with polarization and torsion control, the tuning between 0th- and -2nd-order OAM has been realized, which is converted from the tuning between LP02 and LP21. By using this method, the OAM tuning of ±1-±3ℏ and ±4-0-±2ℏ may be further realized theoretically.

High-Order OAM Mode Generator Using Multi-Cascaded Long-Period Fiber Gratings

We propose and demonstrate the inscription of multi-cascaded long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs) in a few-mode fiber using a CO2-laser. The multi-cascaded LPFGs containing three gratings were fabricated successfully. The first LPFG was used to realize the mode conversion from LP01 mode to LP11 mode, the second one was used to convert LP11 mode to LP21 mode, and the third one achieved the higher-order mode conversion from LP21 mode to LP31 mode. The second-order and third-order orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes can be generated using the cascaded LPFGs with the second and third gratings, respectively. The multi-cascaded LPFGs have the promising potential to be adopted as mode converters and mode scramblers in the mode division multiplexing system thanks to the flexible mode conversion among different higher-order modes.

Characterizing the high-power-microwaves radiated by an axial output compact S-band A6 segmented magnetron fed by a split cathode and powered by a linear induction accelerator

In a recent publication [J. Appl. Phys. 131, 023301 (2022)], microwave generation by a segmented A6 S-band axial output relativistic magnetron (RM) fed by a split cathode and powered by a small pulsed power generator was demonstrated for the first time. In the present article, we add to the same RM a mode converter and an antenna and drive it by using a modified linear induction accelerator (LIA) (≤450 kV, ≤4 kA, ∼150 ns). It was found that the operation of the RM for a split cathode or a common explosive emission cathode differs significantly. For a split cathode, we optimize for the best microwave output, its geometrical parameters, the external magnetic field, and the LIA's charging voltages. For the optimal choice of these parameters, the RM generates ∼160 ns long microwave pulses of ∼130 MW, 1.78 GHz frequency with an electronic efficiency of ∼40%, without pulse shortening. On the other hand, a common solid cathode fed RM showed microwave pulse shortening. We demonstrated that the segmented anode allows using a μs-timescale magnetic field, making it possible for the RM to operate repetitively.

Propagation of the Hermite-Laguerre-Gaussian Schell-Model Beams Through Mode Converter

Mode converter is an astigmatic optical system that allows transforming the set of coherent Hermite-Gaussian modes with dislocation singularities into Laguerre-Gaussian one, which carries the OAM, and vice versa. The intermediate Hermite-Laguerre-Gaussian (HLG) modes are also obtained for a certain values of mode converter parameter. All these mode sets are used or can be used for information encoding in free space optical communication. Such mode transformation is well understood in the coherent case, however, the propagation of partially coherent HLG modes through the mode converter has not been addressed yet. Here, we derive a comprehensive closed-form expression for the evolution of the mutual intensity of HLG Schell-model beams (HLG-SMBs) during propagation through the mode converter. It is compared with the expression for HLG-SMBs propagation through rotationally symmetric system. We conclude that the mode converter also works for the partially coherent case, but only for intensity distribution. While the mutual intensity and, in particular, cross-correlation function are different in the output of the considered optical systems. This theoretical analysis is important for applications of the HLG sets in optical communication when the mode decoherence has to be taken into account.