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Comparison of principal modes and spatial eigenmodes in multimode optical fibre
Author(s) -
Carpenter Joel,
Eggleton Benjamin J.,
Schröder Jochen
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
laser and photonics reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.778
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1863-8899
pISSN - 1863-8880
DOI - 10.1002/lpor.201600259
Subject(s) - multi mode optical fiber , modal dispersion , optics , dispersion (optics) , principal (computer security) , physics , modal , principal axis theorem , spatial frequency , work (physics) , similarity (geometry) , optical fiber , computer science , materials science , mathematics , image (mathematics) , geometry , artificial intelligence , quantum mechanics , fiber optic sensor , dispersion shifted fiber , polymer chemistry , operating system
Optical waveguide theory is an established part of optical physics. Yet only recently have fundamental phenomena such as spatial eigenmodes and principal modes been demonstrated experimentally. This work leverages recently developed techniques enabling detailed spatiotemporal characterisation of multimode fibre to provide new insights into the fundamentals of fibre propagation. This paper presents detailed analysis of all 420 of a fibre's principal modes and spatial eigenmodes and compares the similarity and differences between these two phenomena. It was found that even over very short lengths, the principal modes can not only significantly suppress modal dispersion but are also a more physically meaningful basis than spatial eigenmodes.