High-speed optical wireless communication can address the exponential growth in data traffic. Adaptive beamforming customized for the target location is crucial, but existing solutions such as liquidcrystal spatial light modulators and microelectromechanical systems require costly micro/nano manufacturing, delicate alignment, and a high degree of mechanical stability. These challenges reflect the fragility of integrating a fiber network with micro/nano mechanical or photonic systems. Here, we realize low-cost, low-loss, and fiber-compatible beamforming and continuous beam steering through controlled bending of a multi-mode fiber that modifies its modal coupling, and use it to enable flexible optical wireless communication at 10 Gb/s. By using the fiber modal coupling as degrees of freedom rather than an impediment, this approach offers a promising solution for flexible and cost-effective optical wireless communication networks.

翻译：高速光无线通信可应对数据流量的指数级增长。针对目标位置定制的自适应波束赋形技术至关重要，但现有解决方案（如液晶空间光调制器和微机电系统）需要昂贵的微纳制造、精密对准及高机械稳定性。这些挑战反映了光纤网络与微纳机械或光子学系统集成的脆弱性。本文通过控制多模光纤的弯曲实现模态耦合调控，以低成本、低损耗且兼容光纤的方式完成了波束赋形与连续波束转向，并在10 Gb/s速率下实现了灵活的光无线通信。该方法将光纤模态耦合视为可自由调控的维度而非障碍，为构建灵活且经济高效的光无线通信网络提供了极具前景的解决方案。