Integrated fiber components based on chirally-coupled-core fibers for all-fiber amplifier

authored by: Sven Hochheim, Eike Brockmüller, Peter Wessels, Michael Steinke, Joona Koponen, Tyson Lowder, Steffen Novotny, Jörg Neumann, DIetmar Kracht
Abstract: The output power of fiber-based single-frequency amplifiers, e.g. for gravitational wave detectors, is typically limited by nonlinear effects (e.g. stimulated Brillouin scattering). In addition to a high output power, long-term stable and less complex laser systems are required. It has been shown that all-fiber amplifier systems can be a suitable option to avoid power scaling problems of single-frequency solid-state lasers with injection locking. Chirally-coupled-core (3C®) fibers have been specifically designed to enable single-mode operation with a large mode area core to overcome these limitations. 3C®-fibers consist of a step-index fiber structure, whose signal core is additionally chirally surrounded by one or more satellite cores. For this purpose, the all-solid design of 3C®-fibers allows a manufacturing process of fiber-based components. We present various optical components based on 3C®-fibers for the realization of a single-frequency all-fiber amplifier. These amplifiers typically consist of a mode field adapter (MFA), cladding light stripper (CLS) and pump combiner (PC) to minimize the excitation of higher order modes, remove residual pump light and optimize the coupling efficiency of the pump light in the 3C®-fibers. The components have been specifically designed for the first time with 3C®-fibers and tested according to their performance. As a first prototype, a robust and monolithic fiber amplifier with an ytterbiumdoped 3C®-fiber in combination with commercially available standard fibers was developed. Overall, the fiber amplifier achieves an optical output power of 165W in a linearly polarized TEM00-mode. This work emphasizes the high potential of amplifiers based on 3C®-fibers as laser sources for the next generation of gravitational wave detectors and demonstrates that compact and robust amplifiers can be realized using 3C®-fibers.
External Organisation(s): Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH)
nLIGHT
Type: Conference contribution
Publication date: 01.04.2020
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials, Condensed Matter Physics, Computer Science Applications, Applied Mathematics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2555401 (Access: Closed)

BibTeX

@inproceedings{ce37be149779448e90d3bb0c51293466,
title = "Integrated fiber components based on chirally-coupled-core fibers for all-fiber amplifier",
abstract = "The output power of fiber-based single-frequency amplifiers, e.g. for gravitational wave detectors, is typically limited by nonlinear effects (e.g. stimulated Brillouin scattering). In addition to a high output power, long-term stable and less complex laser systems are required. It has been shown that all-fiber amplifier systems can be a suitable option to avoid power scaling problems of single-frequency solid-state lasers with injection locking. Chirally-coupled-core (3C{\textregistered}) fibers have been specifically designed to enable single-mode operation with a large mode area core to overcome these limitations. 3C{\textregistered}-fibers consist of a step-index fiber structure, whose signal core is additionally chirally surrounded by one or more satellite cores. For this purpose, the all-solid design of 3C{\textregistered}-fibers allows a manufacturing process of fiber-based components. We present various optical components based on 3C{\textregistered}-fibers for the realization of a single-frequency all-fiber amplifier. These amplifiers typically consist of a mode field adapter (MFA), cladding light stripper (CLS) and pump combiner (PC) to minimize the excitation of higher order modes, remove residual pump light and optimize the coupling efficiency of the pump light in the 3C{\textregistered}-fibers. The components have been specifically designed for the first time with 3C{\textregistered}-fibers and tested according to their performance. As a first prototype, a robust and monolithic fiber amplifier with an ytterbiumdoped 3C{\textregistered}-fiber in combination with commercially available standard fibers was developed. Overall, the fiber amplifier achieves an optical output power of 165W in a linearly polarized TEM00-mode. This work emphasizes the high potential of amplifiers based on 3C{\textregistered}-fibers as laser sources for the next generation of gravitational wave detectors and demonstrates that compact and robust amplifiers can be realized using 3C{\textregistered}-fibers. ",
keywords = "Chirally-coupled-core fiber, gravitational waves, integrated fiber components, monolithic fiber amplifier, single-frequency",
author = "Sven Hochheim and Eike Brockm{\"u}ller and Peter Wessels and Michael Steinke and Joona Koponen and Tyson Lowder and Steffen Novotny and J{\"o}rg Neumann and DIetmar Kracht",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} COPYRIGHT SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.; Fiber Lasers and Glass Photonics: Materials through Applications II 2020 ; Conference date: 06-04-2020 Through 10-04-2020",
year = "2020",
month = apr,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1117/12.2555401",
language = "English",
series = "Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering",
publisher = "SPIE",
editor = "Maurizio Ferrari and Mackenzie, {Jacob I.} and Stefano Taccheo and Stefano Taccheo",
booktitle = "Fiber Lasers and Glass Photonics",
address = "United States",
}