Abstract
Researchers at the University of Central Florida have developed a new fiber laser design that index-anti-guides by gain-guiding laser light through the core of a fiber that may be up to 500 micrometers in core size. The laser then delivers a single mode, high power laser light through a variety of off axis optical pumping into fiber cladding.
The fabrication of optical fiber that includes optically amplifying materials has resulted in the development of fiber lasers. These novel laser systems boast high power potential, thermal and vibration stability, compact size and a very high quality (often diffraction limited) output beam. Also, because the light is already contained in an optical fiber, these lasers make it very easy to deliver light where desired. The advancements of fiber lasers have pushed researchers toward new types of fiber that will optimize the size, power, and stability of the output beam, and researchers at UCF have applied a very unique light guiding phenomenon to produce a very attractive new fiber laser.
Technical Details
By employing a process called gain-guiding, light may be guided in regions of a fiber where traditionally, under zero amplification, it would be forbidden to propagate, a process called index-anti-guiding. Shown herein, a fiber with a doped, low index core is used to guide laser light while a higher index cladding region around the core is used to guide laser pump light. The new fiber laser design offers very large spot size operation in the fundamental mode which enables safer high-power operation under easy optical pumping conditions.
Benefit
Very large single mode spot sizes which are high power safe Easy to pump optically High thermal and vibration stability Fiber can be large and therefore cost effective to produceMarket Application
Physical research Medical devices Defense potentials
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