Abstract: A variable light apodizer for apodizing a light beam is provided and includes at least one side filter disposed across a path of the light beam. Each side filter has a light transmission profile along an axis transverse to the propagation axis which is maximum from a first edge of the light beam up to a transition point within the light beam and gradually decreases from the transition point to a second edge of said light beam. The variable light apodizer further includes a filter-moving assembly having at least one mechanical mount one which are secured the side filters. Each mechanical mount is movable according to a motion shifting the light transmission profile of the side filter or filters thereon along the corresponding transverse axis. This motion provides a variable apodization of an edge portion of the light beam along the corresponding transverse axis.

Abstract: An optical beam shaping device for transforming the spatial profile of a light beam into a top hat profile is provided. The optical beam shaping device includes two main components, both provided across the path of the light beam, in any order: an electrical field corrector and a top hat field mapper. The electrical field corrector is configured to alter the electrical field of the light beam along a transverse axis to convert the initial profile of the light beam into a predetermined mapper-input profile. The top hat field mapper is configured to convert light distribution along the transverse axis from the predetermined mapper-input profile to the top hat profile. In some implementations, the initial profile of the light beam is corrected from its original, non-TEM00 shape to a shape better suited to yield a quality top hat profile through the top hat field mapper.

Abstract: There is described an optical fiber comprising a core with non-fungible noise elements along a length thereof, wherein the non-fungible noise elements generate in use a Physical Unclonable Function (PUF). There is further described an object including the present optical fiber and uses of the present optical fiber in applications such as authentication, encryption and zero trust security. There is also described an apparatus for introducing non-fungible noise elements along a core of a bundled optical fiber, a method for extracting a digital signature of a Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) generated by introduced non-fungible noise elements in the present optical fiber and a network integrating the present optical fiber.