Light Scarring in an Optical Fiber

Abstract

We report the first experimental study of wave scarring in an optical fiber with a noncircular cross section. This optical multimode fiber serves as a powerful tool to image waves in a system where light rays exhibit a chaotic dynamics. Far-field intensity measurements are used to provide a better identification of scars in the Fourier domain. This first experimental characterization of scarring effect in optics demonstrates the relevance of such an optical waveguide for novel experiments in wave chaos.