High Spatial Density 6-Mode 7-Core Fiber Amplifier for L-Band Operation

We present a high spatial density space division multiplexed fiber amplifier (i.e., 6-mode 7-core multicore fiber amplifier) supporting 42 spatial channels. A high average modal gain of 23.1 dB is obtained in the L-band with an average differential modal gain of 3.2 dB and a minimum output power of 17.5 dBm per core per mode. The total power consumption of the amplifier is improved by a power reduction factor of 0.36 and a fully fiberized optical amplifier is realized in a cladding-pumped configuration. The assembled amplifier is then tested in a few-mode multicore fiber transmission link and simultaneously amplified 42 spatial channel fiber transmission is demonstrated with the highest spatial density and energy efficiency to date.