Photonic lanterns allow for a low-loss transformation of a multimode waveguide into a discrete number of single-mode waveguides and vice versa, thus, enabling the use of single-mode photonic technologies in multimode systems. In this review, we will discuss the theory and function of the photonic lantern, along with several different variants of the technology. We will also discuss some of its applications in more detail.
@article{arxiv.1503.03269,
title = {Photonic Lantern},
author = {Sergio Leon-Saval and Alexander Argyros and Joss Bland-Hawthorn},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1503.03269},
year = {2015}
}