Terabit-Scale Orbital Angular Momentum Mode Division Multiplexing in Fibers

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 340; no. 6140; pp. 1545 - 1548
• Main Authors: Bozinovic, Nenad, Yue, Yang, Ren, Yongxiong, Tur, Moshe, Kristensen, Poul, Huang, Hao, Willner, Alan E., Ramachandran, Siddharth
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 28-06-2013; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Angular momentum; Applied sciences; Bandwidths; Bit error rate; Circuit properties; Computer science; Coupled mode theory; Crosstalk; Data transmission; Degrees of freedom; Electric, optical and optoelectronic circuits; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Fiber optics; Fibers; Freedom; Helicity; Integrated optics. Optical fibers and wave guides; Internet; Mathematical analysis; Multiplexing; Optical and optoelectronic circuits; Optical fibers; Optics; Photons; Signal transmission; Wavelengths; Mode coupling; Angular momentum; Non linear optics; Telecommunication network; Data transmission; Orbital angular momentum; Optical coupling; Internet; Transmission mode; Spatial multiplexing; Wavelength; Optical fiber
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1237861

Internet data traffic capadty 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 capadty. 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.