Modal noise characterisation of a hybrid reformatter

TL;DR

This study characterizes the modal noise of a hybrid reformatter combining a multicore-fibre photonic lantern and a slit reformatter, highlighting its scrambling capabilities and stability issues at 1550 nm.

Contribution

It provides experimental insights into the modal noise behavior and stability of a novel hybrid reformatter device used for high-resolution spectral applications.

Findings

Excellent scrambling performance observed.

Point spread function stability is affected by fabrication imperfections.

Mode field and barycentre vary with agitation.

Abstract

This paper reports on the modal noise characterisation of a hybrid reformatter. The device consists of a multicore-fibre photonic lantern and an ultrafast laser-inscribed slit reformatter. It operates around 1550 nm and supports 92 modes. Photonic lanterns transform a multimode signal into an array of single-mode signals, and thus combine the high coupling efficiency of multimode fibres with the diffraction-limited performance of single-mode fibres. This paper presents experimental measurements of the device point spread function properties under different coupling conditions, and its throughput behaviour at high spectral resolution. The device demonstrates excellent scrambling but its point spread function is not completely stable. Mode field diameter and mode barycentre position at the device output vary as the multicore-fibre is agitated due to the fabrication imperfections.