Compact fiber lasers for efficient high-power generation

Roger L. Farrow; Dahv A. V. Kliner; Paul E. Schrader; Jeffrey P. Koplow; Alexandra A. Hoops; Sean W. Moore; G. Ronald Hadley; Randal L. Schmitt

doi:10.1117/12.683182

1 September 2006 Compact fiber lasers for efficient high-power generation

Roger L. Farrow, Dahv A. V. Kliner, Paul E. Schrader, Jeffrey P. Koplow, Alexandra A. Hoops, Sean W. Moore, G. Ronald Hadley, Randal L. Schmitt

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6287, Optical Technologies for Arming, Safing, Fuzing, and Firing II; 62870C (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.683182
Event: SPIE Optics + Photonics, 2006, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

We report measurements of the performance of mode-filtered, Yb-doped, double-clad fiber amplifiers (30 μm core diameter) seeded with passively Q-switched, Nd:YAG microchip lasers operating at 1 kHz repetition rate and pulse durations of 0.38 ns and 2.3 ns. The amplified pulses were fully characterized spectrally, temporally, and spatially. The output beam quality was diffraction-limited (M² < 1.2). With the 0.38 ns seed laser, we obtained a maximum peak power of 1.27 MW, corresponding to a peak in-fiber irradiance of 440 GW/cm2. With the 2.3 ns seed laser, we obtained a maximum pulse energy of 1.1 mJ, corresponding to an in-fiber fluence of 410 J/cm². This irradiance and fluence are the highest observed, to our knowledge, for ns-duration pulses, which bodes well for further power scaling with largercore fibers. Nonlinear processes resulted in spectral broadening and distortion of the pulse temporal profiles. At 1.27 MW peak power, the linewidth containing 80% of the pulse energy was 0.55 nm, and the linewidth at 1.05 mJ pulse energy was 1.0 nm. The experimental measurements were compared with the initial results of a pulse-amplification model containing no adjustable parameters. The model predictions are in excellent agreement with the measured pulse energies and small-signal gains. The laser systems employed a simple architecture, consisting of passively Q-switched oscillators; single-stage, single-pass, cw-pumped amplifiers; conventional, solid fibers; and < 6 cm coil diameters. This approach is suitable for use in practical applications requiring compact, rugged, and efficient laser sources.

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Roger L. Farrow, Dahv A. V. Kliner, Paul E. Schrader, Jeffrey P. Koplow, Alexandra A. Hoops, Sean W. Moore, G. Ronald Hadley, and Randal L. Schmitt "Compact fiber lasers for efficient high-power generation", Proc. SPIE 6287, Optical Technologies for Arming, Safing, Fuzing, and Firing II, 62870C (1 September 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.683182

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KEYWORDS

Fiber amplifiers

Fiber lasers

Pulsed laser operation

Medium wave

Nd:YAG lasers

Optical amplifiers

Solids

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