Dynamic 3D holographic projection of vectorial images with a multimode fiber

Abstract

An optical multimode fiber (MMF) is capable of delivering structured light modes or complex images with high flexibility. Here, we present a holographic approach to enable the MMF as a 3D holographic projector with the capability of complete polarization control. By harnessing the strong coupling of the spatial and polarization degrees of freedom of light propagating through MMFs, our approach realizes active control of the output intensity and polarization in 3D space by shaping only the wavefront of the incident light. In this manner, we demonstrate MMF-based holographic projection of vectorial images on multiple planes via a phase-only hologram. Particularly, dynamic projection of polarization-multiplexed grayscale images is presented with an averaged Pearson correlation coefficient of up to 0.91. Our work is expected to benefit fiber-based holographic displays, data transmission, optical imaging, and manipulation.