Real-Time 4-Mode MDM Transmission Using Commercial 400G OTN Transceivers and All-Fiber Mode Multiplexers

Weakly-coupled mode division multiplexing(MDM)technique is considered a promising candidate to enhance the capacity of an optical transmission system,in which mode multiplexers/demultiplexers(MMUX/MDEMUX)with low insertion loss and modal crosstalk are the key components.In this paper,a low-modal-crosstalk 4-mode MMUX/MDEMUX for the weakly-coupled triple-ring-core few-mode fiber(TRC-FMF)is designed and fabricated with side-polishing processing.The measurement results show that a pair of MMUX/MDEMUX and 25 km weakly-coupled TRC-FMF MDM link achieve low modal crosstalk of lower than−17.5 dB and insertion loss of lower than 11.56 dB for all the four modes.Based on the TRC-FMF and all-fiber MMUX/MDEMUX,an experiment for 25 km real-time 4-mode 3-λwavelength division multiplexing(WDM)-MDM transmission is conducted using commercial 400G optical transport network(OTN)transceivers.The experimental results prove weakly-coupled MDM techniques facilitate a smooth upgrade of the optical transmission system.

On the generation of high-quality Nyquist pulses in mode-locked fiber lasers

Nyquist pulses have wide applications in many areas,from electronics to optics.Mode-locked lasers are ideal platforms to generate such pulses.However,how to generate high-quality Nyquist pulses in mode-locked lasers remains elusive.We address this problem by managing different physical effects in mode-locked fiber lasers through extensive numerical simulations.We find that net dispersion,linear loss,gain and filter shaping can affect the quality of Nyquist pulses significantly.We also demonstrate that Nyquist pulses experience similariton shaping due to the nonlinear attractor effect in the gain medium.Our work may contribute to the design of Nyquist pulse sources and enrich the understanding of pulse shaping dynamics in mode-locked lasers.

Optical Pulse Compression Based on High-doped Erbium Fiber Amplifier and Standard Single-mode Fiber

Proposed is a novel optical pulse compression technique based on high-doped erbium fiber amplifier and standard single-mode fiber(SMF). We used the amplifier with the erbium ion concentration of 6.3×10-3 to amplify a hyperbolic secant pulse from a regeneratively mode-locked fiber laser. The central wavelength, pulsewidth and peak power of the pulse are 1 550 nm, 12.5 ps and 3 mW, respectively. Then the amplified pulse with peak power level corresponding to a higher-order soliton is compressed when it propagates through a 3-km-long single-mode fiber. Studied are the compressed pulses under different pump powers and fiber lengths. The results show that it can get a narrower pulse, and solve the difficulty that pulses at low power can not be compressed directly in the fiber. And the construct is compact.

Multi-Beam Interference Transmission Spectrum Observed from an Eccentric Core Single-Mode Fiber

An eccentric core single-mode fiber,whose core is away from the axis of the fiber,is fabricated by using the fiber preform goniometric-groove method and the stack-and-draw method.An eccentric core single-mode fiber without coating is spliced between two single-mode fibers.Fundamental mode and cladding modes are excited at one splicing point between the eccentric core single-mode fiber and the single-mode fiber,and propagate in the eccentric core single-mode fiber,then interfere with each other at the other splicing point.Multi-beam interference transmission spectrum is observed.An in-line fiber interferometric strain sensor based on the eccentric core single-mode fiber is realized.

Single-mode antiresonant terahertz fiber based on mode coupling between core and cladding

Based on the index-induced mode coupling between the higher-order mode in core and the fundamental mode in cladding tubes,the single-mode operation can be realized in any antiresonant fibers(ARFs)when satisfying that the area ratio of cladding tube and core is about 0.46:1,and this area ratio also should be modified according to the shape and the number of cladding tubes.In the ARF with nodal core boundary,the mode in core also can couple with the mode in the wall of core boundary,which can further enhance the suppression of high-order mode.Accordingly,an ARF with conjoint semi-elliptical cladding tubes realizes a loss of higher-order mode larger than 30 dB/m;simultaneously,a loss of fundamental mode loss less than 0.4 dB/m.

Derivation of General Formula for Coupling Loss of Single-mode Fiber Collimators with Gradient-index Rod Lenses

Gradient-index rod lens (GRIN-lens) whose pitch is ordinary value with bevel ferrule coupling system is analyzed, an equivalent method which can be used to analyze this system is put forward, and a general formula for determining the coupling loss with axes mismatch, radial mismatch, and angular mismatch is derived by use of the Gaussian field approximation and mode-field coupling theory. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theory prediction. It indicates that these formulas are suitable to analyze the gradient-index rod lens coupling system with pigtail fiber.

FAST EVALUATION OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SINGLE-MODE OPTICAL FIBERS

This paper describes a method for fast engineering evaluation of the transmission characteristicsof single-mode optical fibers.A versatile microcomputer program is presented which can be utilized to ana-lyze mode field characteristics of single-mode fibers with arbitrary refractive index profiles.Our computationshows that the mathematical algorithm and the corresponding programs developeod in this paper are rela-tively simple and accurate enough for the engineenring design of single-mode fibers for optical communica-tion systems.

Systematical analysis of mode-locked fiber lasers using single-walled carbon nanotube saturable absorbers

The output characteristics of the Er-doped mode-locked fiber laser using a single-walled carbon nanotube saturable absorber are investigated theoretically with a nonlinear Schrtidinger equation and a saturable absorption equation using realistic parameters. Stable self-starting mode-locking pulses are achieved under net normal, net zero, and net anomalous cavity group velocity dispersion （GVD） respectively. A spectrum with a flat top is obtained from the net normal cavity GVD laser while a spectrum with Kelly side-bands is obtained from the net anomalous cavity GVD laser. The characteristics of the pulse duration changing with cavity GVD and modulation depth of the single-walled carbon nanotubes are discussed. The characteristics of the mode-locking pulses from net normal, net zero, and net anomalous cavity GVD mode-locked fiber lasers are compared. These systematical results are useful for designing mode-locked fiber lasers with saturable absorbers made by different kinds of carbon nano-materials.

Frequency-stabilized Yb：fiber comb with a tapered single-mode fiber

We demonstrate a stable Yb：fiber frequency comb with supercontinuum generation by using a specially designed tapered single-mode fiber, in which a spectrum spanning from 500 nm to 1500 nm is produced. The carrier-envelope offset signal of the Yb：fiber comb is measured with a signal-to-noise ratio of more than 40 dB and a linewidth narrower than 120 kHz. The repetition rate and carrier-envelope offset signals are simultaneously phase locked to a microwave reference frequency.

A tunable comb filter using single-mode/multimode/polarization-maintaining-fiber-based Sagnac fiber loop

A novel tunable comb filter composed of a single-mode/multimode/polarization-maintaining-fiber-based Sagnac fiber loop is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The filter tunability is achieved by rotating the polarization controller. The spectral shift is dependent on rotation direction and the position of the polarization controller. In addition, the adjustable range achieved by rotating the half-wave-plate polarization controller is twice higher than that of the quarter-wave-plate one.

Pulse-train nonuniformity in an all-fiber ring laser passively mode-locked by nonlinear polarization rotation

This paper reports the periodic power variation of the pulse-train in a passively mode-locked soliton fiber ring laser. It can obtain either the uniform or nonuniform pulse-train output by simply rotating the polarization controllers. The experimental results show that the pulse-train nonuniformity is caused by the interaction between the nonuniform polarization states of the soliton pulses and the passive polarizer in the cavity.

Passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser via a D-shape-fiber-based MoS_2 saturable absorber with a very low nonsaturable loss

We report on the generation of conventional and dissipative solitons in erbium-doped fiber lasers by the evanescent field interaction between the propagating light and a multilayer molybdenum disulfide（MoS_2） thin film. The MoS_2 film is fabricated by depositing the MoS_2 water–ethanol mixture on a D-shape-fiber（DF） repetitively. The measured nonsaturable loss, saturable optical intensity, and the modulation depth of this device are 13.3%, 110 MW/cm^2, and 3.4% respectively.Owing to the very low nonsaturable loss, the laser threshold of conventional soliton is as low as 4.8 mW. The further increase of net cavity dispersion to normal regime, stable dissipation soliton pulse trains with a spectral bandwidth of 11.7 nm and pulse duration of 116 ps are successfully generated. Our experiment demonstrates that the MoS_2-DF device can indeed be used as a high performance saturable absorber for further applications in ultrafast photonics.

Mode-locked fiber laser with MoSe_2 saturable absorber based on evanescent field

An all-fiber mode-locked fiber laser was achieved with a saturable absorber based on a tapered fiber deposited with layered molybdenum selenide(MoSe_2). The laser was operated at a central wavelength of 1558.35 nm with an output spectral width of 2.9 nm, and a pulse repetition rate of 16.33 MHz. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on mode-locked fiber lasers using MoSe_2 saturable absorbers based on tapered fibers.

Stable single longitudinal mode erbium-doped silica fiber laser based on an asymmetric linear three-cavity structure

We present a stable linear-cavity single longitudinal mode （SLM） erbium-doped silica fiber laser. It consists of four fiber Bragg gratings （FBGs） directly written in a section of photosensitive erbium-doped fiber （EDF） to form an asymmetric three-cavity structure. The stable SLM operation at a wavelength of 1545.112 nm with a 3-dB bandwidth of 0.012 nm and an optical signal-to-noise ratio （OSNR） of about 60 dB is verified experimentally. Under laboratory conditions, the performance of a power fluctuation of less than 0.05 dB observed from the power meter for 6 h and a wavelength variation of less than 0.01 nm obtained from the optical spectrum analyzer （OSA） for about 1.5 h are demonstrated. The gain fiber length is no longer limited to only several centimeters for SLM operation because of the excellent mode-selecting ability of the asymmetric three-cavity structure. The proposed scheme provides a simple and cost-effective approach to realizing a stable SLM fiber laser.

Fiber core mode leakage induced by refractive index variation in high-power fiber laser

This paper presents an investigation of specific optical fiber core mode leakage behavior that occurs in high-power double-clad fiber lasers as a result of thermally-induced refractive index variations. A model of the power transfer between the core modes and the cladding modes during thermally-induced refractive index variations is established based on the mode coupling theory. The results of numerical simulations based on actual laser parameters are presented. Experimental measurements were also carried out, the results showed good agreement with the corresponding simulation results.

Design of Photonic Crystal Fiber Capable of Carrying Multiple Orbital Angular Momentum Modes Transmission

For the traditional photonic crystal fibers with circular air holes, rectangular air holes are added to the fiber cladding. The periodic arrangement of the inner rectangular air holes allows the fiber structure to better match the annular mode field distribution of the vortex beam. The fiber structure was analyzed and calculated by COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4 finite element software, and the characteristics of fiber were analyzed, such as the dispersion, confinement loss, effective mode area and nonlinear coefficient. The results reveal that the photonic crystal fiber structure capable of carrying 50 orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes at the wavelength of 1.15 to 2.0 μm (850 nm). The effective refractive index difference Δneff between vector modes can reach 1 × 10-3, and larger difference can effectively separate the vector modes and improve the transmission performance of OAM modes. Moreover, the fiber has good performance, such as flat dispersion distribution of the low-order modes, low confinement loss below 10-9 dB·m-1, large effective mode field area and small nonlinear coefficient in the 850 nm wavelength range. Therefore, this fiber structure can be applied to the high-capacity communication system of fiber multiplexing OAM. In addition, the good characteristics of this fiber structure are of great significance for the transmission of vortex beam in fiber.

An all-polarization-maintaining repetition-tunable erbium-doped passively mode-locked fiber laser

An environmentally stable, repetition rate tunable, all-polarization-maintaining, Er-doped pulse fiber laser with a single-wall carbon nanotubes saturated absorber is demonstrated. The ring laser cavity includes a delay line enabling a tunable repetition rate to vary from 35.52 MHz to 35.64 MHz with continuous mode-locked operation. The laser output parameters confirm that the tunable mode-locked operations are stable. High environmental stability is also confirmed by the -130 dBc/Hz low phase noise, a 70-dB signal-to-noise ratio of radio frequency signals, a low amplitude fluctuation of 5.76 × 10-4, and a low fluctuation of reoetition rate of 12 Hz. The laser shows a high de^ree of oolarization of 93%.

STABILITY ANALYSIS IN SPATIAL MODE FOR CHANNEL FLOW OF FIBER SUSPENSIONS

Different from previous temporal evolution assumption, the spatially growing mode was employed to analyze the linear stability for the channel flow of fiber suspensions. The stability equation applicable to fiber suspensions was established and solutions for a wide range of Reynolds number and angular frequency were given numerically . The results show that, the flow instability is governed by a parameter H which represents a ratio between the axial stretching resistance of fiber and the inertial force of the fluid. An increase of H leads to a raise of the critical Reynolds number, a decrease of corresponding wave number, a slowdown of the decreasing of phase velocity , a growth of the spatial attenuation rate and a diminishment of the peak value of disturbance velocity. Although the unstable region is reduced on the whole, long wave disturbances are susceptible to fibers.

Fiber laser pumped burst-mode operated picosecond mid-infrared laser

We demonstrate a compact periodically poled MgO-doped lithium niobate（MgO：PPLN）-based optical parametric oscillator（OPO） quasi-synchronously pumped by a fiber laser system with burst-mode operation.The pump source is a peak-power-selectable pulse-multiplied picosecond Yb fiber laser.The chirped pulses from a figure of eight-cavity modelocked fiber laser seed are narrowed to a duration of less than 50 ps using an FBG reflector and a circulator.The narrowed pulses are directed to pass through a pulse multiplier and to form pulse bunches,each of which is composed of 13 subpulses.The obtained pulse bunches are amplified by two-stage fiber pre-amplifiers：one-stage is core-pumped and the other is cladding-pumped.A fiberized acousto-optic modulator is inserted to control the pulse repetition rate（PRR） of the pulse bunches before they are power-amplified in the final amplifier stage with a large mode area（LMA） PM Yb-doped fiber.The maximum average powers from the final amplifier are 85 W,60 W,and 45 W,respectively,corresponding to the PRR of2.72 MHz,1.36 MHz,and 0.68 MHz.The amplified pulses are directed to pump an MgO：PPLN-based optical parametric oscillator（OPO）.A maximum peak power at 3.45 μm is obtained approximately to be 8.4 kW.Detailed performance characteristics are presented.

Suppression of Cladding Mode Coupling by B/Ge Codoped Photosensitive Fiber With Photosensitive and Depressed Inner Cladding

Excess loss on the short wavelength side of the Bragg resonant wavelength caused by cladding mode coupling limits wide use of grating in the fiber communication system, especially in densed wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) system. A novel photosensitive fiber design that have depressed cladding and photosensitive inner cladding in the same fiber is proposed, which can suppress cladding mode coupling greatly. Using MCVD method B/Ge codoped fiber with depressed cladding was fabriceted out, which was also doped in boron and germanium and had the photosensitivity. Finally, the transmission spectrum of written grating in this fiber by phase mask method verified its larger photosensitivity and greatly suppression of cladding mode coupling.