Opto-mechanical inter-core cross-talk in multi-core fibers

H. Hagai Diamandi, Yosef London, Avi Zadok

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

61 Scopus citations

Abstract

Optical fibers containing multiple cores are widely regarded as the leading solution to the optical communications capacity crunch. The most prevalent paradigm for the design and employment of multi-core fibers relies on the suppression of direct coupling of optical power among cores. The cores, however, remain mechanically coupled. Intercore, opto-mechanical cross-talk, among cores that are otherwise optically isolated from one another, is shown in this work for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. Light in one core stimulates guided acoustic modes of the entire fiber cladding. These modes, in turn, induce refractive index perturbations that extend across to other cores. Unlike corresponding processes in standard fiber, light waves in off-axis cores stimulate general torsional-radial guided acoustic modes of the cylindrical cross section. Hundreds of such modes give rise to inter-core cross-phase modulation, with broad spectra that are quasi-continuous up to 1 GHz frequency. Inter-core cross-talk in a commercial, seven-core fiber is studied in both analysis and experiment. Opto-mechanical cross-talk is quantified in terms of an equivalent nonlinear coefficient, per acoustic mode or per frequency. The nonlinear coefficient may reach 1.9[W× km]-1, a value that is comparable with that of the intra-core Kerr effect in the same fiber.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)289-297
Number of pages9
JournalOptica
Volume4
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 20 Mar 2017

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Optical Society of America.

Funding

European Research Council (ERC) (H2020-ERC- 2015-STG 679228 (L-SID)); Israel Science Foundation (ISF) (1665-14).

FundersFunder number
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
European Commission679228
Israel Science Foundation1665-14

    Keywords

    • Brillouin
    • Fibers
    • Nonlinear optics
    • Optomechanics
    • Scattering

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