Abstract

We present a theoretical study about spatial mode multiplexing/demultiplexing (mux/demux) without theoretical losses by means of interferometry with selective control of the Gouy phase of optical beams, that is, Gouy phase interferometry (GPI). Different Gouy phase values can be obtained by inserting appropriate optical systems at each arm of an interferometer. Thus, spatial mode mux/demux operations of strategic interest in optical communications with few-mode optical fibers are implemented by means of constructive interference and regardless of the parity and separability of the optical beams. Consequently, unachievable mux/demux by interferometry based on image inversion methods becomes possible with GPI. This kind of operation can also be interesting for optical sensors, optical metrology, image processing, and so on.

© 2016 Optical Society of America

Silicon mode multiplexer processing dual-path mode-division multiplexing signals

Chunlei Sun, Yu Yu, Guanyu Chen, and Xinliang Zhang
Opt. Lett. 41(23) 5511-5514 (2016)

Measurement of Gouy phase evolution by use of spatial mode interference

Jong H. Chow, Glenn de Vine, Malcolm B. Gray, and David E. McClelland
Opt. Lett. 29(20) 2339-2341 (2004)

Demonstration of a 280  Gbit/s free-space space-division-multiplexing communications link utilizing plane-wave spatial multiplexing

Martin P. J. Lavery, Hao Huang, Yongxiong Ren, Guodong Xie, and Alan E. Willner
Opt. Lett. 41(5) 851-854 (2016)

Direct-detection mode-division multiplexing in modal basis using phase retrieval

Sercan Ö. Arik and Joseph M. Kahn
Opt. Lett. 41(18) 4265-4268 (2016)

Integrated switchable mode exchange for reconfigurable mode-multiplexing optical networks

Chunlei Sun, Yu Yu, Guanyu Chen, and Xinliang Zhang
Opt. Lett. 41(14) 3257-3260 (2016)