Optical scanning endoscope via a single multimode optical fiber

Optical endoscopy has become an essential diagnostic and therapeutic approach in modern biomedicine for directly observing organs and tissues deep inside the human body,enabling non-invasive,rapid diagnosis and treatment.Optical fiber endoscopy is highly competitive among various endoscopic imaging techniques due to its high flexibility,compact structure,excellent resolution,and resistance to electromagnetic interference.Over the past decade,endoscopes based on a single multimode optical fiber(MMF)have attracted widespread research interest due to their potential to significantly reduce the footprint of optical fiber endoscopes and enhance imaging capabilities.In comparison with other imaging principles of MMF endoscopes,the scanning imaging method based on the wavefront shaping technique is highly developed and provides benefits including excellent imaging contrast,broad applicability to complex imaging scenarios,and good compatibility with various well-established scanning imaging modalities.In this review,various technical routes to achieve light focusing through MMF and procedures to conduct the scanning imaging of MMF endoscopes are introduced.The advancements in imaging performance enhancements,integrations of various imaging modalities with MMF scanning endoscopes,and applications are summarized.Challenges specific to this endoscopic imaging technology are analyzed,and potential remedies and avenues for future developments are discussed.

FBS Effect and Temperature Dependence in Trench-Assisted Multimode Fiber

We propose the trench-assisted multimode fiber(TA-OM4)as a novel sensing fiber in forward Brillouin scattering(FBS)-based temperature sensor,due to its higher temperature sensitivity,better bending resistance and lower propagation loss,compared with the single mode fiber(SMF)and other sensing fibers.The FBS effect and acousto-optic interaction in TA-OM4 are the first time to be demonstrated and characterized at 1550 nm theoretically and experimentally.A 2.0 km long TA-OM4 is put into an oven to measure its temperature sensitivity,which can reach up to 80.3 kHz/℃,exceeding 53%of SMF(52.4 kHz/℃).The simulated and experimental results verify that the TA-OM4 may be a good candidate as the sensing fiber for the FBS-based temperature sensor.

Spatiotemporal mode-locked multimode fiber laser with dissipative four-wave mixing effect

The high degree of freedom and novel nonlinear phenomena of multimode fiber are attracting attention. In this work,we demonstrate a spatiotemporal mode-locked multimode fiber laser, which relies on microfiber knot resonance(MKR) via dissipative four-wave-mixing(DFMW) to achieve high-repetition-rate pulses. Apart from that, DFMW mode locking with switchable central wavelengths can also be obtained. It was further found that high pulse energy induced nonlinear effect of the dominant mode-locking mechanism transforming from DFMW to nonlinear Kerr beam cleaning effect(NL-KBC). The experimental results are valuable for further comprehending the dynamic characteristics of spatiotemporal mode-locked multimode fiber lasers, facilitating them much more accessible for applications.

Hybrid Long-Period Fiber Grating with Multimode Fiber Core for Refractive Index Measurement

A refractive index （RI） sensor based on hybrid long-period fiber grating （LPFG） with multimode fiber core （MMFC） is proposed and demonstrated. The surrounding RI can be determined by monitoring the separation between the resonant wavelengths of the LPFG and MMFC since the resonant wavelengths of the LPFG and MMFC will shift in opposite directions when the surrounding RI changes. Experimental results show that the sensor possesses an enhanced sensitivity of 526.92nm/RIU in the RI range of 1.387-1.394 RIU. The response to the temperature is also discussed.

Mid-infrared supercontinuum and optical frequency comb generations in a multimode tellurite photonic crystal fiber

We numerically investigate the mid-infrared(MIR)supercontinuum(SC)and SC-based optical frequency comb(OFC)generations when the three optical modes(LP_(01),LP_(02),and LP_(12))are considered in a multimode tellurite photonic crystal fiber(MM-TPCF).The geometrical parameters of the MM-TPCF are optimized to support the multimode propagation and obtain the desired dispersion characteristics of the considered three optical modes.When the pump pulse with center wavelengthλ=2.5μm,width T=80 fs,and peak power P=18 kW is coupled into the anomalous dispersion region of the LP_(01),LP_(02),and LP_(12)modes of the MM-TPCF,the-40-dB bandwidth of the generated MIR SCs can be up to 2.56,1.39,and 1.12 octaves,respectively,along with good coherence.Moreover,the nonlinear dynamics of the generated SCs are analyzed.Finally,the MIR SCs-based OFCs are demonstrated when a train of 50 pulses at 1-GHz repetition rate is used as the pump source and launched into the MM-TPCF.

Multimode Optical Fiber Displacement Sensor

The structure of an intensity modulation optical fiber sensor is introduced. The principle of the sensor which can detect minor displacement by use of minor curve in dark ground is described. Complex experiment shows that the multimode optical fiber not only has the abilitly of detecting the displacement of less than 0.1 nm, but also exhibits characteristics of wide dynamic range and good linearety.

Fiber Coupling of Laser Diode Bar to M ultimode Fiber Array

A piece of multimode optical fiber with a low num er ical aperture (NA) is used as an inexpensive microlens to collimate the output r adiation of a laser diode bar in the high numerical aperture (NA) direction.The emissions of the laser diode bar are coupled into multimode fiber array.The radi ation from individual ones of emitter regions is optically coupled into individu al ones of fiber array.Total coupling efficiency and fiber output power are 75% and 15W,respectively.

Active wavefront shaping for controlling and improving multimode fi ber sensor

Wavefront shaping(WFS)techniques have been used as a powerful tool to control light propagation in complex media,including multimode fibers.In this paper,we propose a new application of WFS for multimode fber-based sensors.The use of a single multimode fiber alone,without any special fabrication,as a sensor based on the light intensity variations is not an easy task.The twist effect on multimode fiber is used as an example herein.Experimental results show that light intensity through the multimode fiber shows no direct relationship with the twist angle,but the correlation coefficient(CC)of speckle patterns does.Moreover,if WFS is applied to transform the spatially seemingly random light pattern at the exit of the multimode fiber into an optical focus.The focal pattern correlation and intensity both can serve to gauge the twist angle,with doubled measurement range and allowance of using a fast point detector to provide the feedback.With further development,WFS may find potentials to facilitate the development of multimode fber-based sensors in a variety of scenarios.

Absorption efficiency of graded-index double-clad fiber lasers

Absorption efficiency of graded-index double-clad fiber lasers or amplifiers is analyzed. As ray optics method is no longer valid for graded-index case, the mode analysis method is used. Calculated results show that absorption efficiency for a graded-index is higher than that for a step-index in symmetric case. In offset core case, the graded-index can achieve the same absorption efficiency with much smaller offset distance. Absorption efficiencies for different graded-index profiles of the inner cladding are compared.

Nonconvex optimization for optimum retrieval of the transmission matrix of a multimode fiber

Transmission matrix(TM)allows light control through complex media,such as multimode fibers(MMFs),gaining great attention in areas,such as biophotonics,over the past decade.Efforts have been taken to retrieve a complex-valued TM directly from intensity measurements with several representative phase-retrieval algorithms,which still see limitations of slow or suboptimum recovery,especially under noisy environments.Here,we propose a modified nonconvex optimization approach.Through numerical evaluations,it shows that the optimum focusing efficiency is approached with less running time or sampling ratio.The comparative tests under different signal-to-noise levels further indicate its improved robustness.Experimentally,the superior focusing performance of our algorithm is collectively validated by single-and multispot focusing;especially with a sampling ratio of 8,it achieves a 93.6%efficiency of the gold-standard holography method.Based on the recovered TM,image transmission through an MMF is realized with high fidelity.Due to parallel operation and GPU acceleration,our nonconvex approach retrieves a 8685×1024 TM(sampling ratio is 8)with 42.3 s on average on a regular computer.The proposed method provides optimum efficiency and fast execution for TM retrieval that avoids the need for an external reference beam,which will facilitate applications of deep-tissue optical imaging,manipulation,and treatment.

Multimode fiber speckle Stokes polarimeter

The detection of the state of polarization(SOP)of light is essential for many optical applications.However,cost-effective SOP measurement is a challenge due to the complexity of conventional methods and the poor transferability of new methods.We propose a straightforward,low-cost,and portable SOP measurement system based on the multimode fiber speckle.A convolutional neural network is utilized to establish the mapping relationship between speckle and Stokes parameters.The lowest root-mean-square error of the estimated SOP on the Poincarésphere can be 0.0042.This method is distinguished by its low cost,clear structure,and applicability to different wavelengths with high precision.The proposed method is of great value in polarization-related applications.

Efficient reference-less transmission matrix retrieval for a multimode fiber using fast Fourier transform

Imaging through multimode fiber(MMF)provides high-resolution imaging through a fiber with cross section down to tens of micrometers.It requires interferometry to measure the full transmission matrix(TM),leading to the drawbacks of complicated experimental setup and phase instability.Reference-less TM retrieval is a promising robust solution that avoids interferometry,since it recovers the TM from intensity-only measurements.However,the long computational time and failure of 3D focusing still limit its application in MMF imaging.We propose an efficient reference-less TM retrieval method by developing a nonlinear optimization algorithm based on fast Fourier transform(FFT).Furthermore,we develop an algorithm to correct the phase offset error of retrieved TM using defocused intensity images and hence achieve 3D focusing.The proposed method is validated by both simulations and experiments.The FFT-based TM retrieval algorithm achieves orders of magnitude of speedup in computational time and recovers 2286×8192 TM of a 0.22 NA and 50μm diameter MMF with 112.9 s by a computer of 32 CPU cores.With the advantages of efficiency and correction of phase offset,our method paves the way for the application of reference-less TM retrieval in not only MMF imaging but also broader applications requiring TM calibration.

Temperature Compensated Solution Concentration Measurement Based on a Cascaded SMS/LPFG Fiber Structure

In this paper, a hybrid optical fiber structure for solution concentration measurement with the temperature compensation is proposed. The structure consists of long period fiber grating (LPFG) and single mode-multimode-single mode (SMS) fiber structures. The sensing mechanism of the device is studied and verified by experiments. LPFG is sensitive to solution concentration and is affected by temperature crosstalk. SMS structure is not affected by solution concentration, but sensitive to ambient temperature. It can be used as a temperature compensation system. The sensitivity coefficients of LPFG and SMS on temperature and concentration were measured experimentally, and a dual-wavelength matrix was established to realize simultaneous measurement of solution temperature and concentration.

Spatiotemporal nonlinear dynamics in multimode fiber laser based on carbon nanotubes

We investigated 1-μm multimode fiber laser based on carbon nanotubes,where multiple typical pulse states were observed,including Q-switched,Q-switched mode-locked,and spatiotemporal mode-locked pulses.Particularly,stable spatiotemporal mode-locking was realized with a low threshold,where the pulse duration was 37 ps and the wavelength was centred at 1060.5 nm.Moreover,both the high signal to noise and long-term operation stability proved the reliability of the mode-locked laser.Furthermore,the evolution of the spatiotemporal mode-locked pulses in the cavity was also simulated and discussed.This work exhibits the flexible outputs of spatiotemporal phenomena in multimode lasers based on nanomaterials,providing more possibilities for the development of high-dimensional nonlinear dynamics.

Transverse-mode controlling of a large-mode-area multimode fiber laser

Coiling technique is used to control the transverse mode of a large-mode-area （LMA） multimode fiber laser. By winding the fiber to a coil with different radius, high-order modes of a multimode fiber laser are suppressed one by one and finally 15.4-W single-transverse-mode output is achieved when the coil radius is 20 mm. It is found that as the coil radius decreases, the beam quality of a multimode fiber laser gets better but the slope efficiency drops for higher-order modes are discriminated. During the experiment, as the coil radius of multimode fiber changes, output characteristic of the laser has been measured. Meanwhile, the mode loss of different modes is calculated theoretically. It is proved that the experimental measured results fit well with the theoretically calculated results.

Single-mode output by controlling the spatiotemporal nonlinearities in mode-locked femtosecond multimode fiber lasers

The performance of fiber mode-locked lasers is limited due to the high nonlinearity induced by the spatial confinement of the single-mode fiber core.To massively increase the pulse energy of the femtosecond pulses,amplification is performed outside the oscillator.Recently,spatiotemporal mode-locking has been proposed as a new path to fiber lasers.However,the beam quality was highly multimode,and the calculated threshold pulse energy(>100 nJ)for nonlinear beam self-cleaning was challenging to realize.We present an approach to reach high energy per pulse directly in the mode-locked multimode fiber oscillator with a near single-mode output beam.Our approach relies on spatial beam self-cleaning via the nonlinear Kerr effect,and we demonstrate a multimode fiber oscillator with M^2<1.13 beam profile,up to 24 nJ energy,and sub-100 fs compressed duration.Nonlinear beam self-cleaning is verified both numerically and experimentally for the first time in a mode-locked multimode laser cavity.The reported approach is further power scalable with larger core sized fibers up to a certain level of modal dispersion and could benefit applications that require high-power ultrashort lasers with commercially available optical fibers.

Generation of tunable multi-wavelength optical short pulses using self-seeded Fabry-Perot laser diode and tilted multimode fiber Bragg grating

We experimentally demonstrate the simultaneous generation of tunable multi-wavelength picosecond laser pulses using a self-seeding configuration that consists of a gain-switched Fabry-Perot laser diode （FPLD） with an external cavity formed by a tilted multimode fiber Bragg grating. Dual- and triple-wavelength pulses are obtained and tuned in a flexible manner by changing the temperature of the FPLD. The side mode suppression ratio larger than 25 dB is achieved at different dual- and triple-wavelengths and the typical pulsewidth of the output pulses is ,-70 ps. In the experiment, the wavelength separation can be narrowed to 0.57 nm.

Fast-forming focused spots through a multimode fiber based on an adaptive parallel coordinate algorithm

We propose an adaptive parallel coordinate （APC） algorithm for quickly forming a series of focused spots at a multimode fiber （MMF） output by controlling the MMF input field with a spatial light modulator （SLM）. Only passing over the SLM once, we can obtain SLM reflectance to form focused spots on different positions. Com- pared with the transmission matrix method, our APC does not. require iterations and massive calculations. The APC does not require as much access device time as the adaptive sequential coordinate ascent （SCA） algorithm. The experiment results demonstrate that the time taken to form 100 spots with our APC is 1/54th the time with the SCA.

Q-switched mode-locked multimode fiber laser based on a graphene-deposited multimode microfiber

We report Q-switched mode-locked(QML)pulses generation in an Yb-doped multimode fiber(MMF)laser by using a graphene-deposited multimode microfiber(GMM)for the first time,to the best of our knowledge.The single-wavelength QML operation with the central wavelength tunable from 1028.81 nm to 1039.20 nm and the dual-wavelength QML operation with the wavelength spacing tunable from 0.93 nm to 5.79 nm are achieved due to the multimode interference filtering effect induced by the few-mode fiber and MMF structure and the GMM in the cavity.Particularly,in the single-wavelength QML operation,the fifth harmonic is also realized owing to the high nonlinear effect of the GMM.The obtained results indicate that the QML pulses can be generated in the MMF laser,and such a flexible tunable laser has promising applications in optical sensing,measuring,and laser processing.

Hundred-watt level all-fiber visible supercontinuum generation from a graded-index multimode fiber

A monolithic visible supercontinuum(SC)source with a record average output power of 204 W and a spectrum ranging from580 nm to beyond 2400 nm is achieved in a piece of standard telecom graded-index multimode fiber(GRIN MMF)by designing the pumping system.The influence of the GRIN MMF length on the geometrical parameter instability(GPI)effect is analyzed for the first time,to the best of our knowledge,by comparing the SC spectral region dominated by the GPI effect under different fiber lengths.Our work could pave the way for robust,cost-effective,and high-power visible SC sources.