Tunable supercontinuum in multimode fiber via bending-induced dispersion modification

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a novel method to achieve broadband, tunable supercontinuum in multimode fibers by using bending-induced dispersion changes, maintaining beam quality while enabling spectral control.

Contribution

It introduces bending-induced local dispersion modification as a new mechanism for spectral tuning in multimode fibers, avoiding mode mixing and preserving beam quality.

Findings

Achieved spectral tuning from 700-1350 nm with clean beam profiles.

Validated the dispersion control mechanism through a perturbative model.

Demonstrated application in multiphoton microscopy.

Abstract

Nonlinear pulse propagation in multimode fibers (MMFs) offers a compact, low-cost route to broadband, tunable femtosecond light, but most control schemes act by changing the spatial mode composition, typically resulting in irregular or speckled beams in exchange for maximal spectral tunability. Here we introduce a complementary mechanism: bending-induced local dispersion modification of a high-order mode (HOM) to steer the spectrum while keeping the spatial mode fixed. We launch an LP0,7 mode into a step-index MMF and apply programmable macrobends near the input. With a standard Yb pump at 1030 nm, this yields spatially clean, continuous spectral tuning across 700-1350 nm, while the output profile remains Bessel-like and robust to reconfiguration of controlled bends. A perturbative model explains the observed spatial-spectral decorrelation, showing that moderate curvature produces first- and second-order shifts in group delay and group-velocity dispersion of the HOM with minimal change in its modal composition; these dispersion shifts control soliton fission, dispersive-wave emission, and the soliton self-frequency shift. We further validate application utility by driving multicolor, extended-depth-of-focus multiphoton microscopy directly from this all-fiber source. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of bending-induced dispersion modification, rather than mode mixing, used to tune MMF supercontinuum spectra without sacrificing beam quality, laying the foundation for an alternative pathway to tunable femtosecond illumination for imaging and spectroscopy.