Comparative study of light propagation and single-mode operation in large-mode area fibers designed for 2-mu m laser applications

    Authors

    C. Jollivet; B. Samson; L. Leick; L. Shah; M. Richardson;A. Schulzgen

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Opt. Eng.

    Keywords

    fiber lasers; large-mode area fiber; specialty fiber design; fiber; characterization; mode analysis; PHOTONIC CRYSTAL FIBER; HIGH-POWER; OPTICAL-FIBERS; MU-M; INSTABILITIES; AMPLIFIERS; S-2; Optics

    Abstract

    Output performances of fiber-based optical systems, in particular fiber lasers and amplifiers, can be controlled using tailored fiber designs, gain profiles, and pump light overlap with the gain medium. Here, the performances of 2-mu m light, propagating in three large-mode area fibers, a step-index fiber, a photonic crystal fiber (PCF), and a leakage channel fiber (LCF), designed to deliver a single-mode (SM) beam at this wavelength, were compared. Using the S-2 imaging technique, the transverse mode content has been decomposed, and propagation losses, SM purity, and mode-field area (MFA) were measured for various input mode overlap and coiling diameters. It was experimentally demonstrated that coiling the PCF and LCF to 40 and 20 cm in diameter, respectively, resulted in efficient higher-order mode suppression, pure SM beam delivery, moderate (similar to 1 dB) coil-induced losses in the fundamental mode, and nondistorted, large MFA (similar to 1600 mu m(2)) beam delivery. (C) 2015 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

    Journal Title

    Optical Engineering

    Volume

    54

    Issue/Number

    1

    Publication Date

    1-1-2015

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    7

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000349442900007

    ISSN

    0091-3286

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