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Multimode fibers (MMFs) have attracted interest because of their larger mode area and additional spatial degrees of freedom compared with single-mode fibers. Recently, MMFs have been introduced into mode-locked lasers for new cavity structures with better laser performance. Among these lasers, there are two remarkable cases in which MMFs are the key components for mode-locking: One is using a short segment of the MMF as a saturable absorber (SA), which has the advantages of high damage threshold, wide operating bandwidth, and low cost. The other is the construction of multimode cavities with MMFs. Spatiotemporal mode-locking (STML), a general form of mode-locking, can be achieved in such cavities. Herein, we review these two types of mode-locked lasers with MMFs. The principles of MMF-based SA and STML are described based on the common theory of multimode nonlinear fiber optics. Subsequently, we present a detailed overview of the recent progress regarding these lasers, including lasers mode-locked by MMF-based SAs at the 1-, 1.5-, and 2-μm bands, as well as spatiotemporal mode-locked MMF lasers. A perspective for the development of mode-locked lasers with MMFs is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the problems of traditional two‐level nested arrays (TTNA) with low degrees of freedom and high mutual coupling, a generalised two‐level nested MIMO radar array with high degrees of freedom and low mutual coupling for the direction of arrival (DOA) estimation is proposed. First, two coprime expansion factors are introduced in the TTNA to mitigate mutual coupling among array elements and enhance its degrees of freedom. Secondly, the range of consecutive lags and the total number of virtual array elements are derived in closed form under the structures of 'sum–difference co‐array'. Finally, utilising the atomic norm minimisation theory, the authors address the issue of discrete holes caused by different coprime expansion factors through filling in virtual arrays at discontinuities. Furthermore, a convex optimisation model to recover equivalent received signals from these filled virtual arrays is established, which is combined with a multiple signal classification algorithm for DOA estimation. Simulation results validate the rationality of the array structure and demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sparse arrays are of deep concern due to their ability to identify more sources than the number of sensors, among which the hole-free difference co-array (DCA) with large degrees of freedom (DOFs) is a topic worth discussing. In this paper, we propose a novel hole-free nested array with three sub-uniform line arrays (NA-TS). The one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) representations demonstrate the detailed configuration of NA-TS, which indicates that both nested array (NA) and improved nested array (INA) are special cases of NA-TS. We subsequently derive the closed-form expressions for the optimal configuration and the available number of DOFs, concluding that the DOFs of NA-TS is a function of the number of sensors and the number of the third sub-ULA. The NA-TS possesses more DOFs than several previously proposed hole-free nested arrays. Finally, the superior direction of arrival (DOA) estimation performance based on the NA-TS is supported by numerical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the weakness that the difference co-array (DCA) only enhances the degrees of freedom (DOFs) to a limited extent, a new configuration called the generalized nested array via difference–sum co-array (GNA-DSCA) is proposed for direction of arrival (DOA) estimation. We consider both the temporal and spatial information of the array output to construct the DSCA model, based on which the DCA and sum co-array (SCA) of the GNA are systematically analyzed. The closed-form expression of the DOFs for the GNA-DSCA is derived under the determined dilation factors. The optimal results show that the GNA-DSCA has a more flexible configuration and more DOFs than the GNA-DCA. Moreover, the larger dilation factors yield significantly wider virtual aperture, which indicates that it is more attractive than the reported DSCA-based sparse arrays. Finally, a hole-filling strategy based on atomic norm minimization (ANM) is utilized to overcome the degradation of the estimation performance due to the non-uniform virtual array, thus achieving accurate DOA estimation. The simulation results verify the superiority of the proposed configuration in terms of virtual array properties and estimation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at low degrees of freedom (DOF) and high mutual coupling (MC) of the existing sparse arrays, an enhanced generalized nested array (EGNA) is proposed in this paper. Specifically, the proposed array adds a single antenna on the basis of generalized nested array (GNA), and the difference of coprime factors is employed as the spacing between the second subarray and the additional antenna. Then, the values of the coprime factors are analyzed in detail, which indicates that Yang-NA can be explained as a special case. Compared with the majority of the existing sparse arrays, EGNA not only has the closed-form expressions of the physical antenna locations, consecutive lags, and unique lags, but also significantly increases DOF and reduces MC. In view of the above advantages, EGNA can obtain superior performance in direction of arrival (DOA) estimation. Numerical simulation results verify the rationality and superiority of the proposed nested array. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel generalized nested multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar for direction of arrival (DOA) estimation is proposed in this paper. The proposed structure utilizes the extended two-level nested array (ENA) as transmitter and receiver and adjusts the interelement spacing of the receiver with an expanding factor. By optimizing the array element configuration, we can obtain the best number of elements of the transmitter and receiver and the attainable degrees of freedom (DOF). Compared with the existing nested MIMO radar, the proposed MIMO array configuration not only has closed-form expressions for sensors' positions and the number of maximum DOF, but also significantly improves the array aperture. It is verified that the sum-difference coarray (SDCA) of the proposed nested MIMO radar can get higher DOF without holes. MUSIC algorithm based on Toeplitz matrix reconstruction is employed to prove the rationality and superiority of the proposed MIMO structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]