Abstract
A novel near-infrared all-fiber mode monitor based on a mini-two-path Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MTP-MZI) is proposed. The MTP-MZI mode monitor is created by fusing a section of (no-core fiber ,NCF) and a (single-mode fiber ,SMF) together with an optical fiber fusion splicer, establishing two distinct centimeter-level optical transmission paths. Since the high-order modes in NCF transmit near-infrared light more sensitively to curvature-induced energy leakage than the fundamental mode in SMF, the near-infrared high-order mode light leaks out of NCF when the curvature changes, causing the MTP-MZI transmission spectrum to change. By analyzing the relationship between the curvature, transmission spectrum, and spatial frequency spectrum, the modes involved in the interference can be studied, thereby revealing the mode transmission characteristics of near-infrared light in optical fibers. In the verification experiments, higher-order modes were excited by inserting a novel hollow-core fiber (HCF) into the MTP-MZI. When the curvature of the MTP-MZI changes, the near-infrared light high-order mode introduced into the device leaks out, causing the transmission spectrum to return to its original state before bending and before the HCF was spliced. The experimental results demonstrate that the MTP-MZI mode monitor can monitor the fiber modes introduced from the external environment, providing both theoretical and experimental foundations for near-infrared all-fiber mode monitoring in optical information systems.
With the continuous development of fiber optic communication technology, the demand for communication capacity is endles
In order to monitor the types and distribution of transmitted modes, the modes of near-infrared wavelength to be monitored need to be separated first from the optical signal. Traditional methods for near-infrared mode monitoring include imaging and numerical analysis. Imaging methods mainly include spatially and spectrally resolved imaging (
In recent years, with the rapid development of burgeoning subjects such as optical field modulation, the realization of mode-specific optical field output based on fiber laser within near-infrared wavelength has received extensive attention. Among them, near-infrared all-fiber mode converters have become a research hotspot because of their small size and ease of integratio
In this paper, we present a novel near-infrared all-fiber mode monitor based on a mini-two-path Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MTP-MZI). By observing the distribution of the transmission and spatial frequency spectra of the MTP-MZI, we can analyze the characteristics of the modes involved in the interference and thus achieve the all-fiber modes monitoring. In addition, by introducing additional higher-order modes into the input light by HCF and then allowing their leakage through the bending, the feasibility of the mode monitoring using MTP-MZI is demonstrated. The MTP-MZI based near-infrared mode monitor offers a compact solution for all-fiber mode monitoring. Moreover, integrating advanced technologies like deep learning with MTP-MZI can enhance qualitative mode analysis, potentially transforming multimode laser communications, where dynamic mode monitoring is essential.
The principal structure of the near-infrared all-fiber mode monitor is shown in

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of the near-infrared all-fiber MTP-MZI mode monitor.:(a) Flat MTP-MZI; (b) Curved MTP-MZI
图1 近红外全光纤MTP-MZI模式监视器示意图:(a) 平直的MTP-MZI; (b)弯曲的MTP-MZI
We use the beam propagation method to numerically simulate the optical field distribution of the NCF.

Fig. 2 Simulation of light field.:(a) Linear NCF; (b) Curved NCF
图2 光场模拟仿真图。:(a) 直线型NCF;(b) 弯曲型NCF
The proposed MTP-MZI can be fabricated only with a commercial fiber optic fusion splicer. The schematic diagram of the fabrication setup is shown in

Fig. 3 (a) Schematic diagram of the preparation of the MTP-MZI coupling region; (b) The microscope image of NCF and SMF side-by-side positioned on the fusion splicer; (c) The microscope image of fusion region of NCF and SMF after discharge
图3 (a) MTP-MZI耦合区域的示意图;(b) NCF和SMF并排置于熔接机上的显微图;(c) 放电后NCF和SMF耦合区域显微图
, | (1) |
Where x is the displacement of the precision displacement stage, L is the distance between fixtures, R is the radius of curvature and C is the curvature.

Fig. 4 The experiment setup of the MTP-MZI with curvature changing
图4 MTP-MZI曲率实验装置图

Fig. 5 Flow chart of MTP-MZI model monitoring experiment.:(a) Initial state of the mode monitor; (b) Mode characterization experiments with MTP-MZI bending; (c) Introduction of higher-order modes; (d) Experimental validation of mode monitoring
图5 MTP-MZI模式监测实验流程图。:(a) 模式监测器初始状态;(b) 模式监测器特性;(c) 引入高阶模式;(d) 实验验证模式监测
In the experiment of this paper, we choose the near-infrared band range from 1525 nm to 1610 nm.

Fig. 6 (a) The transmission spectra of MTP-MZI with variation curvatures; (b) The corresponding spatial frequency spectrum
图6 (a) 不同曲率MTP-MZI的透射光谱;(b) 相应的空间频谱

Fig. 7 (a) Transmission spectra with curvature range from 0.62647
图7 (a)曲率在0.62647 m-1 ~1.04272 m-1范围的透射光谱;(b)相应的空间频谱;(c)曲率在1.84256 m-1 ~2.32641 m-1范围的透射光谱; (d)相应的空间频谱
On this basis, we expect to test whether newly added higher-order modes can be leaked by bending the MTP-MZI structure. If the transmission spectrum is reduced to the initial transmission spectrum where the input is fundamental mode light, then it can be determined that the externally introduced higher-order modes are entirely encompassed within the leaked higher-order modes. By the qualitative analysis of the modes, monitoring of the input light modes can be achieved. So, we carried out validation experiments.
A section of HCF is fused in front of the MTP-MZI structures to excite high-order modes. Other types of fibers can be used in place of HCF, but new interference cannot be generated during the mode excitation process, otherwise the newly generated interference spectrum will overlap with the transmission spectrum of the MTP-MZI. In

Fig. 8 (a) A comparison of the transmission spectra of the MTP-MZI without and with HCF; (b)The corresponding spatial frequency spectra
图8 (a)初始透射光谱和熔接HCF的MTP-MZI透射光谱;(b)相应的空间频谱
In

Fig. 9 (a) Transmission spectrum of the MTP-MZI with HCF at curvature of 0.574 33
图9 (a) (b)曲率为0.574 33 m-1和0.834 8 m-1以及1.094 62 m-1和1.868 17 m-1的透射光谱;(c) 带有HCF的曲率为2.225 04 m-1的MTP-MZI透射光谱和初始透射光谱;(d) 相应的空间频谱
By comparing
At last, we conducted repeatability experiments to measure the reproducibility and stability of the structure. In the manuscript, we obtained two additional mode monitors using the same manufacturing process. The obtained transmission spectrum and corresponding spatial frequency are shown in

Fig. 10 (a) Initial transmission spectra of the original mode monitor, Repeat1, and Repeat2, respectively; (b) The corresponding spatial frequency spectra; (c) and (e) MTP-MZI transmission spectrum and initial transmission spectrum with HCF with curvature of 2.225 04
图10 (a) 初始透射谱, 重复性实验1和实验2的透射谱; (b) 为相应的空间频谱; (c) 和 (e) 重复性实验1和2中带有HCF的曲率为2.225 04 m-1的MTP-MZI透射光谱和初始透射光谱; (d) 和 (f) 为相应的空间频谱
In this paper, we proposed a centimeter-scale near-infrared all-fiber mode monitor based on MTP-MZI. By changing the curvature of the MTP-MZI, the curvature-induced leakage of the high-order mode in the NCF changed, causing variations in the transmission spectrum and corresponding spatial frequency spectrum. In the validation experiments, the higher-order modes are introduced by fusion splicing the HCF, and the higher-order modes are leaked after bending the MTP-MZI structure. The transmission and spatial frequency spectra were finally recovered to the spectra without connecting the HCF, which realized the monitoring of externally introduced modes. The proposed near-infrared mode monitor offers a new approach to the feasibility investigation of mode monitors with an all-fiber format. It also has several advantages, such as small size, high robustness, easy preparation, and low cost, making it ideal for various near-infrared wavelength field applications such as optical communication, laser processing, optical sensing, and imaging.
References
Khonina S N, Kazanskiy N L, Butt M A, et al. Optical multiplexing techniques and their marriage for on-chip and optical fiber communication: a review [J]. Opto-Electronic Advances, 2022, 5(8): 210127-1-210127-25. 10.29026/oea.2022.210127 [Baidu Scholar]
JI Ke and CHEN He-Ming. Coarse wavelength-mode-division hybrid multiplexer/de-multiplexer of photonic crystal[J]. Journal of Infrared and Millimeter Waves(季珂,陈鹤鸣.光子晶体粗波分-模分混合复用/解复用器.红外与毫米波学报), 2018, 37(1): 50-59. [Baidu Scholar]
Soma D, Beppu S, Wakayama Y, et al. 257-Tbit/s weakly coupled 10-mode C+ L-band WDM transmission [J]. Journal of Lightwave Technology, 2018, 36(6): 1375-1381. 10.1109/jlt.2018.2792484 [Baidu Scholar]
Liu Y, Rishøj L S, Galili M, et al. Orbital angular momentum data transmission using a silicon photonic mode multiplexer [J]. Journal of Lightwave Technology, 2023, 41(7): 2123-2130. 10.1109/jlt.2022.3218946 [Baidu Scholar]
Xu H, Dai D, Shi Y. Silicon integrated nanophotonic devices for on-chip multi-mode interconnects [J]. Applied Sciences, 2020, 10(18): 6365. 10.3390/app10186365 [Baidu Scholar]
**ang S, Han Y, Gao S, et al. Semiconductor lasers for photonic neuromorphic computing and photonic spiking neural networks: A perspective [J]. APL Photonics, 2024, 9(7). 10.1063/5.0217968 [Baidu Scholar]
Drevinskas R, Zhang J, Beresna M, et al. Laser material processing with tightly focused cylindrical vector beams [J]. Applied Physics Letters, 2016, 108(22). 10.1063/1.4953455 [Baidu Scholar]
Zhu X, Zhuang H, Liu Y, et al. High-sensitivity robust Mach-Zehnder interferometer sensor in ultra-compact format [J]. Measurement, 2024: 115051. 10.1016/j.measurement.2024.115051 [Baidu Scholar]
Bautista G, Kakko J P, Dhaka V, et al. Nonlinear microscopy using cylindrical vector beams: Applications to three-dimensional imaging of nanostructures [J]. Optics Express, 2017, 25(11): 12463-12468. 10.1364/oe.25.012463 [Baidu Scholar]
Nicholson J W, Yablon A D, Fini J M, et al. Measuring the modal content of large-mode-area fibers [J]. IEEE journal of selected topics in quantum electronics, 2009, 15(1): 61-70. 10.1109/jstqe.2008.2010239 [Baidu Scholar]
Rydberg C, Bengtsson J. Numerical algorithm for the retrieval of spatial coherence properties of partially coherent beams from transverse intensity measurements [J]. Optics express, 2007, 15(21): 13613-13623. 10.1364/oe.15.013613 [Baidu Scholar]
Demas J, Ramachandran S. Sub-second mode measurement of fibers using C 2 imaging [J]. Optics express, 2014, 22(19): 23043-23056. 10.1364/oe.22.023043 [Baidu Scholar]
Huang L, Leng J, Zhou P, et al. Adaptive mode control of a few-mode fiber by real-time mode decomposition [J]. Optics express, 2015, 23(21): 28082-28090. 10.1364/oe.23.028082 [Baidu Scholar]
Yang A, Zhu J, Liu X, et al. Integrated all-fiber structures for generating doughnut beam arrays and hollow Bessel-like beams [J]. Optics and Lasers in Engineering, 2022, 153: 107006. 10.1016/j.optlaseng.2022.107006 [Baidu Scholar]
Wang N, Zacarias J C A, Antonio-Lopez J E, et al. Transverse mode-switchable fiber laser based on a photonic lantern [J]. Optics Express, 2018, 26(25): 32777-32787. 10.1364/oe.26.032777 [Baidu Scholar]
Zhang H, Wang Z, ** L, et al. All-fiber broadband multiplexer based on an elliptical ring core fiber structure mode selective coupler [J]. Optics Letters, 2019, 44(12): 2994-2997. 10.1364/ol.44.002994 [Baidu Scholar]
Fu C, Liao Y, He Y, et al. Design of TE01-HE11 mode converter with TE11 as intermediary mode [J]. Journal of Infrared and Millimeter Waves, 2017, 36(1): 24-29. [Baidu Scholar]
Ding Y, Li J, Li S, et al. Eight Modes Selective Elliptic-Core Photonic Lantern in MIMO-Free Mode Division Multiplexing Systems at S+ C+ L Bands [J]. Journal of Lightwave Technology, 2022, 41(2): 739-744. 10.1109/jlt.2022.3220024 [Baidu Scholar]