Abstract-Mode division multiplexing (MDM) systems using orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes can recover the data in D different modes without recourse to full (2D×2D) multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) processing. One of the biggest challenges in OAM-MDM systems is the mode instability following fiber propagation. Previously, MIMO-free OAM-MDM data transmission with two modes over 1.1 km of vortex fiber was demonstrated where optical polarization demultiplexing was employed in the setup. We demonstrate MDM data transmission using two OAM modes over 1.4 km of a specially designed ring core fiber (RCF) without using full MIMO processing or optical polarization demultiplexing. We demonstrate reception with electrical polarization demultiplexing, i.e., minimal 22 MIMO, showing the compatibility of OAM-MDM with current polarization demultiplexing receivers.

We experimentally investigate mode-division multiplexing in an elliptical ring core fiber (ERCF) that supports linearly polarized vector modes (LPV). Characterization show that the ERCF exhibits good polarization maintaining properties over eight LPV modes with effective index difference larger than 1 × 10. The ERCF further displays stable mode power and polarization extinction ratio when subjected to external perturbations. Crosstalk between the LPV modes, after propagating through 0.9 km ERCF, is below -14 dB. By using six LPV modes as independent data channels, we achieved the transmission of 32 Gbaud QPSK over 0.9 km ERCF without any multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) or polarization-division multiplexing (PDM) signal processing.

We experimentally study the modal interactions in mode division multiplexing (MDM) links supporting orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes of order zero and one. We use time of flight and channel impulse response measurements to characterize our OAM-MDM link and quantify modal impairments. We examine two OAM fibers with different index profiles and differential mode group delays (DMGD) between supported vector modes. Data transmission experiments probe the impact of modal impairments on digital signal processing complexity and achievable bit error rate for OAM-MDM link. We discuss in particular memory depth requirements for equalizers in separate mode detection schemes, and how memory depth varies with DMGD metrics as well as crosstalk level.

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