Compact seven-core fiber spatiotemporal mapping system for spatiotemporal mode-locking buildup dynamics

Effective detection schemes for spatiotemporal light fields hold significant importance in the study of high-dimensional spatiotemporal nonlinear systems. We propose a compact seven-core fiber spatiotemporal mapping system (SCF-SMS) to investigate the transient dynamics within a spatiotemporal mode-locked (STML) fiber laser. By utilizing this system, we observed intriguing transient phenomena during STML processes, including beating dynamics and spatiotemporal soliton state transition dynamics. In the beating dynamics, two channels corresponding to distinct spatial sampling points exhibited different transient behaviors. Conversely, during the spatiotemporal soliton state transition dynamics, the transition processes of two channels were asynchronous, with observable discrepancies before and after the transitions. Compared with existing spatiotemporal light field acquisition methods, the SCF-SMS enables more compact spatiotemporal mapping within STML fiber lasers. This real-time, synchronous system for spatiotemporal soliton information measurement facilitates an in-depth study of nonlinear dynamical phenomena in STML fiber lasers.