Mode transmission analysis method for photonic lantern based on FEM and local coupled mode theory

In this paper, a novel full vector numerical simulation method based on the finite element method (FEM) and local coupled mode theory (LCMT) for analyzing the mode transmission characteristics of photonic lantern (PL) with arbitrary input mode field is proposed. Compared with the traditional numerical simulation methods for PL, our method can greatly reduce the computational complexity and ensure high precision. Taking a three-core PL as an example, we verify the validity of our method. The advantages and properties of our method are also discussed in detail and found instructive for optimization design of PL. Through specifically optimizing the geometric parameters of the PL according to the properties, mode selectivity of LP01 and LP11 can be respectively improved up to 44.5 dB and 54.7 dB with more than 95% coupling efficiency. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement