Optimal non-circular fiber geometries for image scrambling in high-resolution spectrographs

Optical fibers are a key component for high-resolution spectrographs to attain high precision in radial velocity measurements. We present a custom fiber with a novel core geometry - a 'D'-shape. From a theoretical standpoint, such a fiber should provide superior scrambling and modal noise mitigation, since unlike the commonly used circular and polygonal fiber cross sections, it shows chaotic scrambling. We report on the fabrication process of a test fiber and compare the optical properties, scrambling performance, and modal noise behavior of the D-fiber with those of common polygonal fibers.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, submitted to SPIE Astronomical Telescopes & Instrumentation 2016 (9912-192