Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To construct a fiber-based source for high-energy picosecond and nanosecond pulses. SOLUTION: By minimizing nonlinear energy limitations in fiber amplifiers, pulse energies close to the damage threshold of optical fibers can be generated. The implementation of optimized seed sources in conjunction with amplifier chains comprising at least one nonlinear fiber amplifier allows for the generation of near bandwidth-limited high-energy picosecond pulses. Optimized seed sources for high-energy pulsed fiber amplifiers comprise semiconductor lasers as well as stretched mode locked fiber lasers. The maximization of the pulse energies obtainable from fiber amplifiers further allows for the generation of high-energy ultraviolet and IR pulses at high repetition rates. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means for generating femto-second high power optical pulses. SOLUTION: An apparatus for generating high power optical pulses includes: a fiber oscillator 10 for generating signal light; an amplifier fiber 11 with non-linear phase delay, which collects the signal light, and which serves as a Soliton Raman compressor (SRC) for amplifying and compressing it; and a periodical poled LiNbO 3 (PRLN) 20, which is a frequency converter for performing frequency conversion on amplified optical pulses to make high power optical pulses. Dispersion is compensated by a dispersion compensated fiber 18. The optical pulse is reflected by a Faraday rotation mirror (FRM) 19 and a double path is configured. The signal light is amplified and compressed by obtaining energy from pump light injected from a pump 16, and a femto-second high power optical pulse is obtained with a wavelength in which the frequency conversion is performed by the PRLN frequency converter 20. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve stable operation of an ultra-compact modelocked fiber laser generating short optical pulses generally without use of any non-fiber, intra-cavity polarization-manipulating elements. SOLUTION: Once the laser is modelocked in one of the polarization axes of the highly-birefringent fiber, the degeneracy of the polarization axis is eliminated and cw oscillation along the other polarization axis is also prevented. Without a polarization-dependent loss in the cavity, the modelocked polarization axis is indeterminate, i.e., modelocking can occur on either of the polarization axes. However, the introduction of only a small polarization dependent loss is sufficient to ensure the reliable start-up of modelocking on only the low-loss axis. Such a small polarization dependent loss can be introduced by tightly coiling the highly-birefringent fiber, which generates a higher loss along the fast axis; thus, reliable modelocked operation along the slow axis is obtained. Alternatively, single polarization operation is obtained by employing a saturable absorber with a polarization-dependent loss or by introducing polarization-manipulating elements external to the laser cavity. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a miniaturized and inexpensive high output chirped pulse amplifier of 100 mW-10 W, and a compressor suitable for the same. SOLUTION: This high output chirped pulse amplifier which generates ultrashort pulses includes a generation source 10 for generating expanded pulses which are expanded pulse lights, an output amplifying stage 20 for amplifying the expanded pulses, the compressor 40 for receiving the expanded pulses from the output amplifying stage 20 to compress them, wherein the output amplifying stage 20 has a double cladding fiber and a pump. The compressor 40 is preferable to have a fiber grid for compressing laser pulse signals into the duration of less than a threshold in a nonlinear effect, and a diffraction grating for accepting pulse signals compressed through the fiber grid in order to further compress the pulse signals. The chirped pulse amplifying action of cladding-pumped fiber allows the chirped pulse amplification of high output to be performed while it is miniaturized and inexpensive. COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a passively mode-locked fiber laser adapted to generate chirped parabolic pulses. SOLUTION: The passively mode-locked fiber laser comprises a laser oscillator that has in-cavity dispersion and generates substantially linearly-chirped parabolic pulses at, at least one point in the oscillator, and a rare-earth-doped gain fiber. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a highly productive fiber chirped pulse amplification system which exhibits a high pulse stretching ratio and a high pulse compression ratio.SOLUTION: A polarization maintaining air-clad fiber comprises: a core region; a material cladding region surrounding the core; air cladding which substantially surrounds the material cladding region; and a layer surrounding the air cladding. A polarization maintaining operation of the fiber is achieved by incorporating stress producing regions, which generate stress-induced birefringence in the air-clad fiber and are disposed completely inside the material cladding region and surrounded completely by the material cladding region.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fiber which is decreased in the amount of polarization mode coupling and polarization mode dispersion and is increased in polarization maintaining ability and to provide a polarization maintaining high-efficiency fiber amplifier or laser of such a large external diameter that pumping light is guided within an inner clad while a larger outer clad ensures the decrease of the mode coupling in the fiber core. SOLUTION: The high-power polarization maintaining fiber taking the degree of the double refraction of the core, the sectional shape of the clad and the shape for polarization maintaining into consideration is decreased in the stress in the fiber core by increasing the fiber diameter to minimize the polarization mode coupling, by which the polarization mode coupling is minimized and the insensibility of the polarization state with respect to bending and temperature changing of the fiber on the outer side is achieved or the polarization mode coupling is minimized by optimization of the fiber coating in order to minimize the stress at the boundary between the fiber and the coating and eventually the insensibility to the polarization mode coupling is obtained by the value of the double refractivity drastically decreased as compared with the fiber of a small diameter.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To greatly increase peak power limit of usual mode-locked single mode fiber laser by using a resonator design, which enables stable generation of high peak power pulse from a mode-locked multi-mode fiber laser. SOLUTION: Light from a pump light source 51, such as a laser light source having a wavelength close to 980 nm and an output power of 5 W is injected through a fiber flux 57. The pump light is injected to an end part 53 of a multi- mode fiber 13 which is relevant to a single mode fiber 17. A pumping light is coupled to a resonator 11 by a pump signal injector 55, such as a two-color beam splitter for wavelength of 980/1550 nm. Lenses 47, 48 are optimized for coupling pump power from a fiber 57 to cladding of a multi-mode fiber. Therefore, peak pulse power at a mode-locked pulse light source used for generating ultrashort light pulse is increased.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To minimize the manufacturing cost of a passively modelocked fiber laser of high reliability by employing saturable absorber together with a highly- birefringent erbium doped optical fiber. SOLUTION: A WDM coupler 22 is arranged in a pig tail 18 between a laser diode 16 and an annular splice 20. A signal light entering the pig tail 18 through a dichroic mirror 14 from a fiber 12 is isolated from a pump by the WDM coupler 22, and directed toward an output part. A semiconductor saturable absorber mirror 24 is arranged on the other end of a highly- birefringent fiber 12. The fiber is made to abut against the mirror 24 and bonded to it. Low power reflectivity larger than 80% and carrier life of 10 psec can be obtained. That is, when a pumping laser is switched on several times, a modelocked operation along either of two polarization axes can be observed while being accompanied by random distribution between the two axes.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To generate a peak intensity and pulse energy larger than those achieved with a single mode(SM) fiber, by raising a capacity for accumulating energy in an optical fiber amplifier before a desirable non-linearity and gain saturation start. SOLUTION: The optical amplifier device comprises a fiber oscillator 10 which, as a laser source, generates such an input beam as comprises a mode close to diffraction limit, a multiplex mode fiber amplifier 12, a mode converter 14, and a pump source 20. The mode converter 14, receiving an input beam, converts the mode of input beam so that it conforms to a basic mode of the multiplex mode fiber amplifier 12 for generating a mode-converted input beam to be inputted in the multiplex mode fiber amplifier 12. The pump source 20 optically pumps the multiplex mode fiber amplifier 12, to generate a strong output beam amplified, intrinsically, with the basic mode.