In this paper, we numerically investigate the process of beam self-cleaning in a graded-index multimode optical fiber, by using the coupled-mode model. We introduce various models of random linear coupling between spatial modes, including coupling between all modes, or only between degenerate ones, and investigate the effects of random mode coupling on the beam self-cleaning process. The results of numerical investigations are in complete agreement with our experimental data.
We experimentally study polarization dynamics of Kerr beam self-cleaning in a graded-index multimode optical fiber. We show that spatial beam cleaning is accompanied by nonlinear polarization rotation, and a substantial increase of the degree of linear polarization.
We experimentally study the competition between Kerr beam self-cleaning and Raman beam cleanup in a multimode air-silica microstructure optical fiber. Kerr beam self-cleaning of the pump is observed for a certain range of input powers only. Raman Stokes beam generation and cleanup lead to both depletion and degradation of beam quality for the pump. The interplay of modal four-wave mixing and Raman scattering in the infrared domain lead to the generation of a multimode supercontinuum ranging from 500 nm up to 1800 nm.
We demonstrate an all-fiber spatiotemporal mode-locked laser based on graded-index multimode fiber. Due to the high damage threshold of graded-index multimode fiber devices, the output single-pulse energy reach up to 11.67 nJ. The beam quality at mode-locked state is significantly improved compared with continuous wave state as a result of the self-cleaning effect. By amplifying the pulse in the multimode fiber amplifier, high power pulses with high beam quality can be obtained in the all-fiber system based on graded-index MMFs.
We report the experimental observation of Kerr beam self-cleaning in a graded-index multimode fiber, leading to output beam profiles different from a bell shape, close to the $LP_{01}$ mode. For specific coupling conditions, nonlinear coupling among the guided modes can reshape the output speckle pattern generated by a pulsed beam into the low order $LP_{11}$ mode. This was observed in a few meters long multimode fiber with 750 ps pulses at 1064 nm in the normal dispersion regime. The power threshold for $LP_{11}$ mode self-cleaning was about three times larger than that required for Kerr nonl…
Recent experimental results have reported the observation of beam self-cleaning or, more generally, nonlinear beam reshaping in active multimode fibers. In this work we present a numerical analysis of these processes, by considering the ideal case of a diode-pumped signal amplifier made of a graded-index multimode fiber with uniform Yb doping. Simulations confirm that beam cleaning of the signal may take place even in amplifying fibers, that is the absence of beam energy conservation. Moreover, we show how the local signal intensity maxima, which are periodically generated by the self-imaging …
We report experimental results, showing that the Kerr beam self-cleaning of many low-order modes in a graded-index multimode fiber can be controlled thanks to optimized wavefront shaping of the coherent excitation beam. Adaptive profiling of the transverse input phase was utilized for channeling the launched power towards a specific low-order fiber mode, by exploiting nonlinear coupling among all guided modes. Experiments were carried out with 7 ps pulses at 1064 nm injected in a five meters long multimode fiber operating in the normal dispersion regime. Optimized Kerr beam self-cleaning of fi…
We experimentally demonstrate spatial beam self-cleaning in an Yb-doped graded-index multimode fiber taper, both in passive and active configurations. The input laser beam at 1064 nm was injected for propagation from the small to the large core side of the taper, with laser diode pumping in a counterdirectional configuration. The Kerr effect permits to obtain high-beam quality amplification with no accompanying frequency conversions. As a result, our nonlinear taper amplifier may provide an important building block for multimode fiber lasers and amplifiers.
We demonstrated that spatial Kerr beam self-cleaning can be obtained in a highly multimode multicomponent optical fiber based on lanthanum aluminum silicate oxide glasses (SiO2-Al2O3-La2O3), which was made by using the modified powder in tube technology (MIPT). We show how such fabrication method can provide interesting potentialities to design doped multimode optical fibers with homogeneous and quasi-parabolic refractive-index core profile for nonlinear optics applications.
Since its first demonstration in graded-index multimode fibers, spatial beam self-cleaning has attracted a growing research interest. It allows for the propagation of beams with a bell-shaped spatial profile, thus enabling the use of multimode fibers for several applications, from biomedical imaging to high-power beam delivery. So far, beam self-cleaning has been experimentally studied under several different experimental conditions. Whereas it has been theoretically described as the irreversible energy transfer from high-order modes towards the fundamental mode, in analogy with a beam condens…
Multimode optical fibres are enjoying a renewed attention, boosted by the urgent need to overcome the current capacity crunch of single-mode fibre systems and by recent advances in multimode complex nonlinear optics [1-13]. In this work, we demonstrate that standard multimode fibres can be used as ultrafast all-optical tool for transverse beam manipulation of high power laser pulses. Our experimental data show that the Kerr effect in a graded-index multimode fibre is the driving mechanism for overcoming speckle distortions, leading to a somewhat counter-intuitive effect resulting in a spatiall…
We experimentally demonstrate Kerr beam self-cleaning in the anomalous dispersion regime of graded-index multimode optical fibers. By using 90 ps duration, highly chirped (2 nm bandwidth at -3dB) optical pulses at 1562 nm, we demonstrate a 2 decades reduction, with respect to previous experiments in the normal dispersion regime, of threshold peak power for beam self-cleaning into the fundamental mode of the fiber, accompanied by more than 65% nonlinear increase of intensity correlation into the fundamental mode. Highly efficient self-selection of the LP11 mode is also observed. Self-cleaned be…
We experimentally demonstrate spatial beam self-cleaning and supercontinuum generation in a tapered Ytterbium-doped multimode optical fiber with parabolic core refractive index and doping profile when 1064 nm pulsed beams propagate from wider (120 micrometers) into smaller (40 micrometers) diameter. In the passive mode, increasing the input beam peak power above 20 kW leads to a bell-shaped output beam profile. In the active configuration, gain from the pump laser diode permits to combine beam self-cleaning with supercontinuum generation between 520-2600 nm. By taper cut-back, we observed that…
We report the spatial beam self-cleaning in bi-tapered conventional multimode fibers (MMFs) with different tapered lengths. Through the introduction of the bi-tapered structure in MMFs, the input beam with poor beam quality from a high-power fiber laser can be converted to a centered, bell-shaped beam in a short length, due to the strengthened nonlinear modes coupling. It is found that the bi-tapered MMF with longer tapered length at the same waist diameter shows better beam self-cleaning effect and larger spectral broadening. The obtained results offer a new method to improve the beam quality…
We report the suppression of intermodal modulation instability peaks as a consequence of Kerr induced self beam-cleaning in a 90m long graded-index multimode optical fiber under various specific launching conditions. The output spectrum and the modal beam profiles for three modes (LP01, LP11, and LP21) have been recorded for several values of pump pulse energy. Experimental findings establish that the nonlinear coupling among the guided modes leads to reshaping the output speckle pattern into a bell shape or higher-order spatially clean beam profile as the pump peak power increases, whereas in…
A low intensity light beam emerges from a graded-index, highly multimode optical fibre with a speckled shape, while at higher intensity the Kerr nonlinearity may induce a spontaneous spatial self-cleaning of the beam [1,2]. Here, we reveal that we can generate two self-cleaned beams with a mutual coherence large enough to produce a clear stable fringe pattern at the output of a nonlinear interferometer. The two beams are pumped by the same input laser, yet are self-cleaned into independent multimode fibres. We thus prove that the self-cleaning mechanism preserves the beams' mutual coherence vi…
Beam self-cleaning (BSC) in graded-index (GRIN) multimode fibres (MMFs) has been recently reported by different research groups. Driven by the interplay between Kerr effect and beam self-imaging, BSC counteracts random mode coupling, and forces laser beams to recover a quasi-single mode profile at the output of GRIN fibres. Here we show that the associated self-induced spatiotemporal reshaping allows for improving the performances of nonlinear fluorescence microscopy and endoscopy using multimode optical fibres. We experimentally demonstrate that the beam brightness increase, induced by self-c…
Classical nonlinear random waves can exhibit a process of condensation. It originates in the singularity of the Rayleigh-Jeans equilibrium distribution and it is characterized by the macroscopic population of the fundamental mode of the system. Several recent experiments revealed a phenomenon of spatial beam cleaning of an optical field that propagates through a graded-index multimode optical fiber (MMF). Our aim in this article is to provide physical insight into the mechanism underlying optical beam self-cleaning through the analysis of wave condensation in the presence of structural disorde…
We introduce the concept of spatial and spectral control of nonlinear parametric sidebands in multimode optical fibers by tailoring their linear refractive index profile. In all cases, the pump experiences Kerr self-cleaning, leading to a bell-shaped profile close to the fundamental mode. Geometric parametric instability, owing to quasi-phase-matching from the grating generated via the Kerr effect by pump self-imaging, leads to frequency multicasting of beam self-cleaning across a wideband array of sidebands. Our experiments show that introducing a gaussian dip in the refractive index profile …
We present a general theory of thermalization of light in multimode optical fibers, including optical beams with nonzero orbital angular momentum or vortex beams. A generalized Rayleigh-Jeans distribution of asymptotic mode composition is obtained, based on the conservation of the angular momentum. We confirm our predictions by numerical simulations and experiments based on holographic mode decomposition of multimode beams. This establishes new constraints for the achievement of spatial beam self-cleaning, giving previously unforeseen insights into the underlying physical mechanisms.
We show that Kerr beam self-cleaning results from parametric mode mixing instabilities, that generate a number of nonlinearly interacting modes with randomized phases -- optical wave turbulence, followed by a direct and inverse cascade towards high mode numbers and condensation into the fundamental mode, respectively. This optical self-organization effect is analogue to wave condensation that is well-known in hydrodynamic 2D turbulence.
This letter is to pave the way towards the demonstration of spatiotemporal similariton pulses evolution in passive multimode fibers with Raman amplification. We present numerically these issues in a graded-index and step-index multimode fibers and provide a first look at the complex spatiotemporal dynamics of similariton pulses. The results showed that the similariton pulses can be generated in both multimode fibers. The temporal and the spectral evolution of the pulses can be characterized as parabolic shapes with linear chirp and kW peak power. By compressed these, high energy femtoseconds p…
We overview recent advances in the research on spatiotemporal beam shaping in nonlinear multimode optical fibers. An intense light beam coupled to a graded index (GRIN) highly multimode fiber undergoes a series of complex nonlinear processes when its power grows larger. Among them, the lowest threshold effect is the Kerr-induced beam self-cleaning, that redistributes most of the beam energy into a robust bell-shaped beam close to the fundamental mode. At higher powers a series of spectral sidebands is generated, thanks to the phase matching induced by the long period grating due to the periodi…
Multimode fibers (MMFs) support abundant spatial modes and involve rich spatiotemporal dynamics, yielding many promising applications. Here, we investigate the influences of the number and initial energy of high-order modes (HOMs) on the energy flow from the intermediate modes (IMs) to the fundamental mode (FM) and HOMs. It is quite surprising that random distribution of high-order modes evolves to a stationary one, indicating the asymptotic behavior of orbits in the same attraction domain. By employing the Lyapunov exponent, we prove that the threshold of the HOMs-attractor is consistent with…
When light propagates through opaque material, the spatial information it holds becomes scrambled, but not necessarily lost. Two classes of techniques have emerged to recover this information: methods relying on optical memory effects, and transmission matrix (TM) approaches. Here we develop a general framework describing the nature of memory effects in structures of arbitrary geometry. We show how this framework, when combined with wavefront shaping driven by feedback from a guide-star, enables estimation of the TM of any such system. This highlights that guide-star assisted imaging is possib…
The generation of a two-octave supercontinuum from the visible to mid-infrared (700 - 2800 nm) in a non-silica graded-index multimode fiber is reported. The fiber design is based on a nanostructured core comprised of two types of drawn lead-bismuth-gallate glass rods with different refractive indices. This structure yields an effective parabolic index profile, an extended transmission window, and ten times increased nonlinearity when compared to silica fibers. Using femtosecond pulse pumping at wavelengths in both normal and anomalous dispersion regimes, a detailed study is carried out into th…
We experimentally demonstrate simultaneous spatial and temporal compression in the propagation of light pulses in multimode nonlinear optical fibers. We reveal that the spatial beam self-cleaning recently discovered in graded-index multimode fibers is accompanied by significant temporal reshaping and up to four-fold shortening of the injected sub-nanosecond laser pulses. Since the nonlinear coupling among the modes strongly depends on the instantaneous power, we explore the entire range of the nonlinear dynamics with a single optical pulse, where the optical power is continuously varied across…
We demonstrate the stabilization of two-dimensional nonlinear wave patterns by means of a dissipative confinement potential. Our analytical and numerical analysis, based on the generalized dissipative Gross-Pitaevskii equation, makes use of the close analogy between the dynamics of a Bose-Einstein condensate and that of mode-locked fiber laser, operating in the anomalous dispersion regime. In the last case, the formation of stable two-dimensional patterns corresponds to spatiotemporal mode-locking, using dissipation-enhanced mode cleaning. We analyze the main scenarios of pattern destabilizati…
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 obtained outside the oscillator. Recently, spatiotemporal mode-locking has been proposed as a new path to fiber lasers. However, the beam quality was either highly multimode and/or with low pulse energy. Here 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…
Classical nonlinear waves exhibit a phenomenon of condensation that results from the natural irreversible process of thermalization, in analogy with the quantum Bose-Einstein condensation. Wave condensation originates in the divergence of the thermodynamic equilibrium Rayleigh-Jeans distribution, which is responsible for the macroscopic population of the fundamental mode of the system. However, achieving complete thermalization and condensation of incoherent waves through nonlinear optical propagation is known to require prohibitive large interaction lengths. Here, we derive a discrete kinetic…
Similar to radiation pressure, photothermal effects connect the optical path length to an intracavity field, resulting in nonlinear behavior of the resonator due to thermal effects. Here, we theoretically investigate the nonlinear optics that emerge as a result of photothermal effects in a multimode optical system composed of two cavity modes coupled via hopping coefficient and with two mechanical modes through coupling rates. We report single to double photothermally-induced transparency (PTIT) dips, and a single sharp photothermally-induced absorption (PTIA) peak, and demonstrate that photot…
Multimode fibres (MMFs) are attracting interest for complex spatiotemporal dynamics, and for ultrafast fibre sources, imaging and telecommunications. This new interest is based on three key properties: their high spatiotemporal complexity (information capacity), the important role of disorder, and complex intermodal interactions. To date, phenomena in MMFs have been studied only in limiting cases where one or more of these properties can be neglected. Here we study MMFs in a regime in which all these elements are integral. We observe a spatial beam-cleaning process preceding spatiotemporal mod…
FLASH: Ultrafast beam quality characterization via spatial-to-temporal mapping
Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology（武汉光电国家实验室，华中科技大学光学与电子信息学院）
Comb-enabled spectral-domain image transport through perturbation-prone multimode fibers
State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, and Hainan Institute, East China Normal University（精密光谱学国家重点实验室及海南研究院，华东师范大学）；Chongqing Key Laboratory of Precision Optics, Chongqing Institute of East China Normal University（精密光学重庆市重点实验室，华东理工大学重庆研究院）；Jinan Institute of Quantum Technology（济南量子技术研究院）；Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Sciences（上海量子科学研究中心）
