Multi-segment photonic-crystal-rod waveguides for amplification of high-power pulsed optical radiation and associated method
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a first photonic-crystal optical device that includes a first waveguide that has a diameter of at least about 40 microns and maintains a single transverse mode, is capable of operation with a peak power of at least 500 kilowatts (kW) and a spectrally narrow signal bandwidth of less than 20 GHz.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus use a photonic-crystal fiber having a very large core while maintaining a single transverse mode. In some fiber lasers and amplifiers having large cores problems exist related to energy being generated at multiple-modes (i.e., polygamy), and of mode hopping (i.e., promiscuity) due to limited control of energy levels and fluctuations. The problems of multiple-modes and mode hopping result from the use of large-diameter waveguides, and are addressed by the invention. This is especially true in lasers using large amounts of energy (i.e., lasers in the one-megawatt or more range). By using multiple small waveguides in parallel, large amounts of energy can be passed through a laser, but with better control such that the aforementioned problems can be reduced. An additional advantage is that the polarization of the light can be maintained better than by using a single fiber core.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
a first photonic-crystal optical device that includes a first waveguide that has a diameter of at least about 40 microns and maintains a single transverse mode, is capable of operation with a peak power of at least 500 kilowatts (kW) and a spectrally narrow signal bandwidth of less than 20 GHz. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An apparatus comprising:
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an optical waveguide having a diameter of at least about 40 microns; and photonic-crystal means for amplifying a pulsed optical beam in the waveguide to a peak power of at least about 1 MW having a spectrally narrow signal bandwidth of less than 10 GHz, and a single transverse mode. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A method comprising:
- providing a first photonic-crystal optical device that includes a first waveguide having a diameter of at least about 40 microns; and
amplifying a pulsed optical beam in the first waveguide while maintaining a single transverse mode to a peak power of at least about 1 MW and a spectrally narrow signal bandwidth of less than 20 GHz. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
- providing a first photonic-crystal optical device that includes a first waveguide having a diameter of at least about 40 microns; and
Specification