
Multi-mode fibers (MMFs) and single-mode fibers (SMFs) are widely used in optical communication networks. MMFs are the practical choice in terms of cost in applications that require short distances. Beyond that, SMFs are necessary because of the modal dispersion in MMFs. Here, we present a method capable of interfacing an MMF with an SMF using a re-programmable multi-plane light conversion scheme (MPLC). We demonstrate that only three phase modulations are necessary to achieve MMF–SMF coupling efficiencies from 30% to 70%, i.e., an insertion loss from 5 dB to 1.5 dB, for MMFs with core diameters up to 200 μ m. We show how the obtained coupling efficiency can be recovered if the output field of the MMF changes entirely, e.g., through strong deformation of the fiber, by simple monitoring of the field. Furthermore, we test the influence of the resolution of both essential devices (field reconstruction and MPLC) on coupling efficiencies. We find that commercially available devices with increased speed and efficiency, such as wavefront sensors and deformable mirrors, are sufficient for establishing an MMF–SMF interface that auto-corrects any decoupling in the kilohertz regime.
FOS: Physical sciences, 530, 114 Physical sciences, 114, Physics - Optics, Optics (physics.optics)
FOS: Physical sciences, 530, 114 Physical sciences, 114, Physics - Optics, Optics (physics.optics)
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 2 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
