Mode-division Multiplexing Systems Research Articles

Information propagation of focus wave mode localized waves in anisotropic turbulent seawater

The evolution of the information transfer capability of an optical system for underwater focused wave mode localized wave (FWMLW) in anisotropic weakly turbulent absorbing seawater is studied. By developing the probability distribution function as well as the detection probability of the vortex modes carried by the FWMLW and the average bit error rate of the FWMLW underwater system, the information capacity of the FWMLW system with a pointing error is modeled. Through a numerical analysis of the effects of turbulent seawater and optical system parameters on the built light intensity, the detection probability, and the information capacity models, we find that the FWMLW system has an optimal delay time determined by the spectrum bandwidth when the spectrum bandwidth is greater than 1. The information capacity of the FWMLW system is higher than that of the X localized wave system under the same turbulent seawater channel condition, and FWMLW is a better optical signal source for vortex mode division multiplexing underwater systems than a Bessel–Gaussian beam.

Full C- and L-band covered second-order OAM mode generator based on a thinned helical long-period fiber grating

A full C- and L-band covered second-order orbital-angular-momentum (OAM) mode generator has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated, which is realized by using a helical long-period fiber grating (HLPG) but inscribed in a thinned four-mode fiber. By optimizing the design of grating period and fiber diameter of the proposed HLPG, an ultra-broadband rejection filter with a depth of ∼23 dB, a bandwidth of ∼156 nm @-10 dB (ranging from 1522 nm to 1678 nm) and a bandwidth of ∼58 nm @-20 dB (ranging from 1574 nm to 1632 nm), has been successfully obtained as a typical sample. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of such ultra-broadband second-order OAM mode generator by using only one fiber component, i.e., the thinned HLPG. In addition, the proposed generator is less polarization-dependent and less temperature-sensitive than those of the conventional HLPGs, which is believed to be considerably helpful to find potential applications of the device itself in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and OAM mode division multiplexing (MDM) optical fiber communication systems.

Frequency diversity of modal dispersion in mode-division multiplexing systems from strong to weak coupling regimes

Based on a statistical model applicable to all mode-coupling regimes and a trace covariance function of the group-delay matrix for characterizing the modal-dispersion correlation, we study the frequency diversity of modal dispersion in randomly-perturbed mode-division multiplexing optical communication systems. Particularly, we conduct detailed numerical simulation and analysis on the statistical properties of the modal dispersion in a 6-mode fiber under random perturbation. The results show that, at two frequencies of sufficiently large difference, while the modal dispersion eventually gets uncorrelated in the strong coupling regime, there remains a significant amount of “residual” correlation in the weak coupling regime. Also, we find that, although the typically-assumed frequency-domain ergodicity is reasonably valid in the strong coupling regime, it clearly fails in the weak coupling regime. The crossover from the strong to weak coupling regimes is also quantitatively investigated.

Time-frequency dual-dimension deep neural network (TF-DD-DNN)-based OSNR and XT monitoring in mode-division multiplexing systems

We propose a time-frequency dual-dimension deep neural network (TF-DD-DNN)-based optical performance monitoring (OPM) scheme to jointly monitor the optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) and the mode-coupling induced crosstalk strength (XT) in mode-division multiplexing (MDM) systems, by revealing the diversity of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and XT distortions on optical signals in the time- and frequency-domains. We numerically quantify the predictions of OSNR and XT for a coherent MDM transmission link, achieving the OSNR prediction accuracy of more than 0.99 and the XT prediction accuracy of up to 1 with the root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.11 dB at OSNR = 30 dB @0.1 nm for the case of quadrature-phase-shift keying (QPSK) signals. We evaluate the impacts of the chromatic dispersion (CD) of fibers and the low-pass filter bandwidth on the prediction procedures. The dependency of the modulation formats is also discussed, confirming the robust operation of the proposed scheme. Finally, the TF-DD-DNN scheme is experimental verified. High consistency is obtained between the simulation and experimental results.

Mapping-varied modulation with labeling optimization for secure transmission in mode-division-multiplexed fiber-optic systems

To improve the physical-layer security of mode-division multiplexing (MDM) systems, a simple security scheme named mapping-varied modulation (MVM) is proposed in this paper by combining cryptographic and information-theoretic security. Specifically, on top of the information-theoretic security provided by the less-conditioned wiretap channel due to the larger mode-dependent loss induced by fiber-bend tapping, the proposed MVM security method varies the mapping rules of the adopted constellations for the subchannels (one subchannel corresponds to one mode) by using the inherently time-varying random channel state information (CSI) of the MDM fiber, under the assumption that an eavesdropper does not know the exact instantaneous CSI of the legitimate link. To maximize the difference among the binary labels of the constellation points in the same position for each subchannel, a labeling optimization method is proposed as well. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed MVM method via bit-error ratio performance and secrecy rate, showing a potential way to improve the security of the MDM link for high-speed data transmission.

Multiparameter sensor based on long-period grating in few-mode ring-core fiber for vector curvature and torsion measurement

With the rapid development of optical fiber sensor in physical measurement, it is of practical significant to realize multi-parameter measurement. In this work, we proposed and demonstrated a multiparameter sensor for curvature, torsion and temperature. The sensor is formed from CO2 laser-inscribed long-period grating (LPG) in few-mode ring-core fiber (RCF), which can convert fundamental mode to LP11 mode. One-side inscription enhances asymmetric index modulation in fiber, resulting in directionally sensitive to bend by intensity interrogation. The curvature sensitivities in various bending directions perform linearity in curvature range of 5–9.466 m−1. Curvature sensitivities are related to the bending directions. The intensity sensitivity achieves − 0.584 dB/m−1, 0.879 dB/m−1, and − 0.735 dB/m−1, respectively. And torsion sensitivity from -6.98 rad/m to 6.98 rad/m displays linearity with −0.554 dB/(rad/m). The measured influence of temperature can be negligible. The proposed RCF-LPG could not only be used as high-efficiency mode converter in mode division multiplexing systems but also be potential in few-mode fiber based multiparameter sensing fields.

Magneto-optical fiber-based orbital angular momentum mode converters.

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) mode division multiplexing (MDM) systems can support large-capacity and high-speed rate information transmission, in which the OAM mode conversion devices play an important role. In this paper, the mode conversion principle of magneto-optical fiber-based long-period grating (MOF-LPG) is analyzed for further developing new magneto-optical (MO) OAM mode converters, including three types of C P 01 to O A M ±1,1, O A M ±1,1 to O A M ±2,1, and O A M ±1,1 to C P 02. It is shown that the magnetic tunability of the mode converters through the propagation constants of the eigenmodes is useful for compensating for process errors and increasing the operating wavelength range. The implementation of MOF-LPGs is also discussed from the aspect of the prospective experiments.

Multi-channel broadband nonvolatile programmable modal switch.

Mode-division multiplexing (MDM) in chip-scale photonics is paramount to sustain data capacity growth and reduce power consumption. However, its scalability hinges on developing efficient and dynamic modal switches. Existing active modal switches suffer from substantial static power consumption, large footprints, and narrow bandwidth. Here, we present, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a novel multiport, broadband, non-volatile, and programmable modal switch designed for on-chip MDM systems. Our design leverages the unique properties of integrating nanoscale phase-change materials (PCM) within a silicon photonic architecture. This enables independent manipulation of spatial modes, allowing for dynamic, non-volatile, and selective routing to six distinct output ports. Crucially, our switch outperforms current dynamic modal switches by offering non-volatile, energy-efficient multiport functionality and excels in performance metrics. Our switch exhibits exceptional broadband operating bandwidth exceeding 70 nm, with low loss (< 1 dB), and a high extinction ratio (> 10 dB). Our framework provides a step forward in chip-scale MDM, paving the way for future green and scalable data centers and high-performance computers.

Low-loss and compact, dual-mode, 3-dB power splitter combining a directional coupler, a multimode interferometer, and a Y-junction.

Multimode power splitters are the fundamental building blocks in mode division multiplexing systems. In this paper, we propose a low-loss and compact, dual-mode, 3-dB power splitter for the two lowest TE modes combining three different structures, including a directional coupler, a multimode interferometer, and a Y-junction. The coupling length of the proposed device is only 7.2µm. For both T E 0 and T E 1 modes, the numerical simulation shows that the insertion loss is only less than 0.1dB and crosstalk is less than -20d B at the wavelength range of 1520-1580nm. The working bandwidth can cover the entire C-band. It offers a potential solution for a 3-dB power splitter of the two lowest TE modes.

Turbulence mitigation of four mode-division-multiplexed QPSK channels in a pilot-assisted self-coherent free-space optical link using a photodetector array and DSP-based channel demultiplexing.

In this Letter, we demonstrate turbulence mitigation of four mode-division-multiplexing (MDM) quadrature-phase-shift-keying (QPSK) channels in a pilot-assisted self-coherent free-space optical (FSO) link using a photodetector (PD) array and digital signal processing (DSP)-based channel demultiplexing. A Gaussian pilot beam is co-transmitted with four 1-Gbaud QPSK channels carried by four orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes. The pilot beam experiences similar turbulence-induced wavefront distortion to the data beams. At the receiver, the turbulence distortion is mitigated by its conjugate during the pilot-data mixing in a PD array. Subsequently, we demultiplex the four channels by applying in DSP a fixed matrix on the signals. Results show that our approach has <3-dB turbulence-induced power penalty at a 7% forward error correction (FEC) limit under a turbulence strength of 2w0/r0 = ∼4.4. The same turbulence can cause >18-dB penalties for a local oscillator (LO)-based coherent MDM system.

Ultra-broadband multi-channel orbital angular momentum mode generator using a helical long-period grating pair

We demonstrate an ultra-broadband multi-channel orbital angular momentum (OAM) mode generator using a helical long-period grating (HLPG) pair in a few-mode fiber. The numbers of the channel of the OAM mode generator can be flexibly adjusted by designing the cascaded length of the HLPG pair. When the cascaded length is 50 cm, the maximum channel number of OAM mode generator reaches 46, and the mode convert efficiencies of the channels are more than 90 %, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest number of channels among OAM mode converters. By reducing grating length and enhancing the refractive index modulation depth, the 3 dB bandwidth of the HLPG is significantly increased, and thus the wavelength range of the HLPG pair can be expanded. The maximum wavelength ranges of the channels with coupling efficiency greater than 90 % are measured to be 379 nm experimentally. By adjusting the spiral direction of the helical refractive index modulation, we can achieve multi-channel ± 1 order OAM mode conversion for each channel. The multi-channel OAM mode generator holds substantial potential for applications in mode division multiplexing systems, wavelength filters, and fiber sensing.

Co-planar arbitrary ratio optical power splitter based on cascaded hybrid-core vertical directional couplers for arbitrary guide modes

We propose a co-planar optical power splitter based on cascaded hybrid-core vertical directional couplers, which serves to split arbitrary ratio power of arbitrary guide modes. We fabricate the optical power splitter using micro-fabrication facilities. Our fabricated chip demonstrates power splitting for the E11, E21 and E12 modes between two few-mode waveguides. The experimental device shows that optical power splitting ranges can be larger than 11.0 dB, 12.1 dB and 11.3 dB for the E11, E21 and E12 modes, respectively, over the C + L band and beyond. The proposed optical power splitter could be used in the mode division-multiplexing systems where power splitting for arbitrary guide modes in few-mode waveguide is required in the ultra-broadband wavelength range for mode manipulating, such as mode power distribution, mode dependent loss equalization and all-optical MIMO signal processes.

A segment-coupled six-mode multiplexer based on multi-core fiber

In this paper, a segment-coupled six-mode multiplexer based on multi-core fiber (MCF) is proposed to achieve multiplexing of LP01, LP11, LP21, LP02, LP31 and LP12 modes according to the principle of mode coupling and phase matching. The mode multiplexer consists of a two-part fiber waveguide that supports six modes of transmission at 1.55 μm wavelength. The transmission performance is analyzed with the finite element method (FEM) and the beam propagation method (BPM). The simulation results show that the insertion loss (IL) of the mode multiplexer is less than 1 dB in the wavelength range of 1.5439–1.5558 μm, and the lowest IL is 0.1837 dB. The coupling efficiencies (CEs) of the six modes are 99.7 %, 92.0 %, 98.6 %, 98.3 %, 97.4 % and 86.6 %, respectively. The designed mode multiplexer dramatically improves fiber space utilization while achieving more higher-order mode conversion. The mode multiplexer can be applied to the mode division multiplexing (MDM) system to solve the problem of mode multiplexing and demultiplexing.

A cost-effective joint multi-parameter optical performance monitoring scheme for high baud rate mode division multiplexing system

Inter-symbol interference (ISI), mode coupling (MC) and other impairments present in high baud rate mode division multiplexing (MDM) systems significantly degrade the reliability and accuracy of optical signal transmission. Therefore, performing joint multi-parameter optical performance monitoring (OPM) is crucial to ensure the efficient operation of the system. We propose a scheme that combines asynchronous single channel sampling (ASCS) images with a multi-task residual neural network (MT-ResNet) to enable cost-effective joint OPM at intermediate nodes in a 100 GBaud MDM system. The scheme requires only one photodetector to receive the signal. Based on the distinct characteristics exhibited by ASCS images for different parameters in the MDM system, the MT-ResNet is improved to capture correlations among parameters and learn residual information between inputs and outputs. This enables high-precision and rapid simultaneous implementation of modulation format identification (MFI), MC estimation, optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) estimation, and chromatic dispersion identification (CDI) in the intermediate nodes of a 100 GBaud MDM system. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is verified using a 100 GBaud QPSK/8QAM/16QAM/32QAM/64QAM MDM simulation transmission system with five spatial modes (LP01/LP11a/LP11b/LP21a/LP21b). The results show that under the influence of different linewidth (LW) of laser and differential mode group delay (DMGD), a 100 % identification success rate can be achieved for five commonly used MFs and eight different cumulative CD values in high baud rate MDM systems, across a wide range of OSNR. Additionally, the mean absolute error (MAE) of OSNR estimation corresponding to the five MFs is 0.22 dB, 0.26 dB, 0.30 dB, 0.32 dB, and 0.36 dB, respectively. The MAE of the eight different MC intensities fluctuate between 0.015 and 0.030. These results fully demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed scheme. Furthermore, the scheme exhibits favorable tolerance to large LWs and fiber nonlinear effects. Moreover, the complexity of the scheme is accurately analyzed through floating-point operations (FLOPs) and parameters (Params), which are much less than existing typical schemes, with specific values of 14.8849 M and 1.3798 M.

CPR-MIMO-CMA in Mode Division Multiplexing Systems

CPR-MIMO-CMA in Mode Division Multiplexing Systems

Low-loss weak-coupling 6-mode hollow-core negative curvature fiber based on symmetric double-ring nested tube

Few-mode optical fibers have played an increasingly important role in breaking through the transmission capacity limitations of single-mode optical fiber and alleviating the bandwidth crisis in optic fiber communication systems in recent years. Nevertheless, traditional solid core few-mode optical fibers usually suffer optical fiber nonlinearity and mode coupling, leading to mode crosstalk between channels. Hollow core negative curvature fibers (HC-NCF) have attracted widespread attention due to their advantages, such as low latency, low nonlinearity, low dispersion, low transmission loss, and large operating bandwidth. In this work, a novel low-loss few-mode HC-NCF with symmetrically double ring nested tube structure is designed, which supports six core modes including LP&lt;sub&gt;01&lt;/sub&gt;, LP&lt;sub&gt;11&lt;/sub&gt;, LP&lt;sub&gt;21&lt;/sub&gt;, LP&lt;sub&gt;02&lt;/sub&gt;, LP&lt;sub&gt;31&lt;i&gt;a&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;, and LP&lt;sub&gt;31&lt;i&gt;b&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;. The designed optical fiber is based on silica dioxide substrate and adopts a unique symmetrical double ring nested cladding structure, which can effectively suppress the coupling between the core mode and the cladding mode. The finite element method (FDE) is used to numerically analyze the properties of the proposed few-mode HC-NCF and optimize the structural parameters of the few-mode HC-NCF. Moreover, the confinement loss and bending loss of all core modes are investigated. The simulation results show that the proposed few-mode HC-NCF can support the independent transmission of six weakly coupled core modes (with the effective refractive index difference greater than 1×10&lt;sup&gt;–4&lt;/sup&gt; between the adjacent core modes, which greatly avoids the coupling between the adjacent modes in the fiber core). In the 400 nm bandwidth (1.23–1.63 μm, covering the O, E, S, C, and L bands), all six modes in the fiber core maintain low loss transmission. Moreover, in the range of 1.3–1.63 μm, the confinement loss (CL) of LP&lt;sub&gt;01&lt;/sub&gt;, LP&lt;sub&gt;11&lt;/sub&gt; and LP&lt;sub&gt;21&lt;/sub&gt; mode are all less than 1×10&lt;sup&gt;–3&lt;/sup&gt; dB/m, and the CL of LP&lt;sub&gt;02&lt;/sub&gt; and LP&lt;sub&gt;31&lt;i&gt;b&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/sub&gt; mode are both less than 3×10&lt;sup&gt;–3&lt;/sup&gt; dB/m. The CL of each mode reaches the lowest value at 1.4 μm, and the LP&lt;sub&gt;01&lt;/sub&gt; mode has the lowest CL of 4.3×10&lt;sup&gt;–7&lt;/sup&gt; dB/m. In addition, for a bending radius of 7 cm, each mode maintains the low bending loss characteristic in a certain operating wavelength range. In the range of 1.23–1.61 μm, the BL of LP&lt;sub&gt;01&lt;/sub&gt; is less than 4.5×10&lt;sup&gt;–4&lt;/sup&gt; dB/m, and the BL of LP&lt;sub&gt;11&lt;/sub&gt; is less than 1.3×10&lt;sup&gt;–3&lt;/sup&gt; dB/m. The tolerance analysis shows that even with the deviation of structural parameters of ±1%, the few-mode HC-NCF can still maintain the characteristic of low-loss and weak coupling. The designed few-mode HC-NCF has ultra-low CL and bending-insensitive characteristics while supporting independent transmission of six modes, which will find huge potential applications in future high performance mode division multiplexing systems.

Mode-Independent Optical Switch Based on Graphene-Polymer Hybrid Waveguides

Mode-division multiplexing (MDM) is a promising multiplexing technique to further improve the transmission capacity of optical communication and on-chip optical interconnection systems. Furthermore, the multimode optical switch is of great importance in the MDM system, since it makes the MDM system more flexible by directly switching multiple spatial signals simultaneously. In this paper, we proposed a mode-independent optical switch based on the graphene–polymer hybrid waveguide platform that could process the TE11, TE12, TE21 and TE22 modes in a few-mode waveguide. The presented switch is independent of the four guided modes, optimizing the buried position of graphene capacitors in the polymer waveguide to regulate the coplanar interaction between the graphene capacitors and spatial modes. The TE11, TE12, TE21 and TE22 modes can be regulated simultaneously by changing the chemical potential of graphene capacitors in a straight waveguide. Our presented switch can enable the independent management of the spatial modes to be more flexible and efficient and has wide application in the MDM transmission systems.

Ultra-compact power splitting higher-order mode pass filter based on inverse design method

Higher-order mode pass filters and power splitters are indispensable components in mode division multiplexing (MDM) systems. In this work, we report a higher-order mode pass filter based on a 1 × 2 multimode interference (MMI), which can simultaneously perform power splitting. Our device is based on a direct-binary-search (DBS) algorithm, and blocked input TE0 mode while splits TE1 mode into two output waveguides with a 50:50 ratio. The final optimized device has an ultra-compact footprint of 2.88 × 2.4 μm2, while maintaining insertion loss <3.50 dB for TE1 mode and transmission extinction ratio between TE1 and TE0 mode >18.6 dB are achieved over the bandwidth of 1500 nm–1600 nm. The compact footprint and high performance of our optimized device make it a critical element for integration with other devices in future MDM systems.

Ultra-Broadband, Compact Arbitrary-Ratio Multimode Power Splitter Based on Tilted Subwavelength Gratings

Mode division multiplexing (MDM) technology is an effective solution for high-capacity optical interconnection, and multimode power splitters, as essential components in MDM systems, have attracted widespread attention. However, supporting a wide range of modes and arbitrary power splitting ratios with large bandwidth in power splitters remains a significant challenge. In this paper, we designed a power splitter based on a subwavelength grating (SWG) structure with tilted placement on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. We achieve arbitrary TE0–TE9 mode-insensitive power distribution by altering the filling coefficient of the SWG. Thanks to our specific selection of cladding materials and compensatory design for the optical wave transmission and reflection shifts induced by SWG, our device demonstrates low additional loss (EL &lt; 1.1 dB) and inter-mode crosstalk (−18.8 &lt; CT &lt; −60 dB) for optical modes ranging from TE0 to TE9, covering a wavelength range from 1200 nm to 1700 nm. Furthermore, our proposed device can be easily extended to higher-order modes with little loss of device performance, offering significant potential in MDM platforms.

A practical in-line FM-EDFA based on cladding pumping for MIMO-free MDM amplification and transmission

The amplification of the long-haul mode division multiplexing (MDM) transmission systems is currently mainly implemented by three steps due to the lack of high-performance in-line few-mode erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (FM-EDFA): firstly, the multiplexed signals need to be demultiplexed. Secondly, multiple single-mode EDFAs are used to amplify the modes separately. Finally, the signals are re-multiplexed into the few-mode fiber for transmission. The multi-stage multiplexing and demultiplexing bring significant complexity and additional modal crosstalk, resulting in degraded transmission performance. To address this issue, an in-line FM-EDFA based on cladding pumping is proposed for simultaneous amplification and transmission in MDM systems. The direct connection of the in-line FM-EDFA to the transmission FMFs reduces the need for mode multiplexing/demultiplexing devices, which provides excellent stability and applicability for MDM transmission systems. The experimental results show that the modal gains of in-line FM-EDFA can reach 21 dB with a differential modal gain (DMG) of less than 0.9 dB. Moreover, the in-line FM-EDFA is applied for simultaneous amplification and transmission in a weakly-coupled MDM system with MIMO-free direct detection. The modal crosstalk of the in-line FM-EDFA is less than −11 dB. Therefore, the in-line cladding-pumped FM-EDFA provides good integration to the fiber links, showing much potential in practical long-haul transmission systems.