Building and aligning a 10-plane light converter

Abstract: The ability to manipulate the spatial structure of light is fundamental for a range of applications, from classical communication to quantum information processing. Multi-plane light conversion (MPLC) addresses the limitations of single-plane modulation by enabling full control over multiple spatial modes of light through a series of phase masks separated by free-space propagation. In this tutorial, we present a step-by-step guide for building and aligning a 10-plane programmable light converter using a single spatial light modulator (SLM) and standard optical components. Our method allows precise alignment, achieving single-pixel accuracy with a relatively simple setup. We hope that this guide will help other researchers to quickly adopt and adapt MPLC technology for their own experiments.