All-fiber linear polarization and orbital angular momentum modes amplifier based on few-mode erbium-doped fiber and long period fiber grating

A few-mode erbium-doped fiber (FM-EDF) is fabricated using modified chemical vapor deposition in combination with liquid solution. The core and cladding diameters of the fiber are approximately 19.44 and 124.12 μm, respectively. The refractive index difference is 0.98%, numerical aperture (NA) is 0.17, and normalized cut-off frequency at 1550 nm is 6.81. Therefore, it is a five-mode fiber, and can be used as a higher-order mode gain medium. Furthermore, a long period fiber grating (LPFG) is fabricated, which can convert LP01 mode to LP11 mode, and its conversion efficiency is up to 99%. The first-order orbital angular momentum (OAM) is also generated by combining the LPFG and polarization controller (PC). Then, an all-fiber amplification system based on the FM-EDF and LPFG, for LP11 mode and first-order OAM beams, is built up. Its on-off gain of the LP11 mode beam is 37.2 dB at 1521.2 nm. The variation, whose transverse mode field intensity of first-order OAM is increased with the increase of pumping power, is obvious. These show that both the LP11 mode and first-order OAM beams are amplified in the all-fiber amplification system. This is a novel all-fiber amplification scheme, which can be used in the optical communication fields.