In situ endoscopic observation of higher-order mode conversion in a microwave mode converter based on an electro-optic probe system.

Visualizing the electromagnetic field transformation inside a microwave mode conversion region has been considered to be only realizable by simulation studies. For the first time, we present a comprehensive experimental observation of the electric field transformation occurring inside a metallic waveguide TE(01)-to-TE(02) mode converter. An efficient electro-optic (EO) probe and its associated probing system were used for measuring the electric field pattern in the external near-field region as well as in the internal and penetrated region of the mode converter. Utilizing the optically measured field patterns at the aperture of the mode converter, the conversion performance from the TE(01) mode to the TE(02) mode can be also evaluated. Experimentally measured field patterns near the apertures show excellent agreement with simulation data. The mode conversion to the next higher-order mode (TE(01) to TE(02)) was experimentally demonstrated with phase-stabilized and field-animated post processing. The presented in situ endoscopic photonic measurement technique for the field evolution inside a semi-enclosed structure could be used for visually inspecting manufacturing errors in fabricated structures, and could be of great interest for research on higher-order mode formation and transmission.