Terabit-Scale Orbital Angular Momentum Mode Division Multiplexing in Fibers

Abstract

Internet data traffic capacity is rapidly reaching limits imposed by optical fiber nonlinear effects. Having almost exhausted available degrees of freedom to orthogonally multiplex data, the possibility is now being explored of using spatial modes of fibers to enhance data capacity. We demonstrate the viability of using the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light to create orthogonal, spatially distinct streams of data-transmitting channels that are multiplexed in a single fiber. Over 1.1 kilometers of a specially designed optical fiber that minimizes mode coupling, we achieved 400-gigabits-per-second data transmission using four angular momentum modes at a single wavelength, and 1.6 terabits per second using two OAM modes over 10 wavelengths. These demonstrations suggest that OAM could provide an additional degree of freedom for data multiplexing in future fiber networks.

Microresonator-based solitons for massively parallel coherent optical communications

“…Taken together, the results prove the significant potential of these sources to replace arrays of continuous-wave lasers in high-speed communications. In combination with advanced spatial multiplexing schemes [7,8] and highly integrated silicon photonic circuits [9], DKS combs may bring chip-scale petabit/s transceivers into reach.The first observation of solitons in optical fibers [2] in 1980 was immediately followed by major research efforts to harness such waveforms for long-haul communications [1]. In these schemes, data was encoded on soliton pulses by simple amplitude modulation using on-off-keying (OOK).…”

“…Taken together, the results prove the significant potential of these sources to replace arrays of continuous-wave lasers in high-speed communications. In combination with advanced spatial multiplexing schemes [7,8] and highly integrated silicon photonic circuits [9], DKS combs may bring chip-scale petabit/s transceivers into reach.…”

Controllable all-fiber generation/conversion of circularly polarized orbital angular momentum beams using long period fiber gratings

“…Recently, OAM modes stably propagating in fiber-based transmission links have also shown the potential applications in optical communication. Such modes have unlimited topological charge and will reduce propagating OAM modes coupling [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. These two sets of modes have a common eigenmode set in fibers, and therefore, the transformation of modal state between LP modes and OAM modes becomes possible.…”

“…A beam of light carrying OAM possesses a phase φ(l,ϕ) = exp(ilϕ) in the transverse plane, where ϕ is the azimuth angle and l is the topological charge number. As the unique characteristics of the OAM light beam were found, a number of attempts to generate and manipulate the OAM beams were proposed based on discrete free space optical systems [6][7][8][9][10][11] and optical fiber components [12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

Massive individual orbital angular momentum channels for multiplexing enabled by Dammann gratings

“…7,[19][20][21][22] For OAM-DM, the OAM states are considered to be fixed channels to be used to carry information with the advantages of high bit rates and low bit error rates (BERs). 13,23 In a state-of-the-art demonstration of an OAM-based FSO communication system, 2.56 Tbit s 21 data transmission was obtained by the multiplexing of four OAM beams with two polarization states. 13 Recently, the same research group achieved a data capacity of 100 Tbit s 21 through 1008 channels by multiplexing 42 wavelengths, 12 OAM beams and two polarization states together.…”