Guillaume Canat

Low loss microstructured chalcogenide fibers for large non linear effects at 1995 nm

Microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) are traditionally prepared using the stack and draw technique. In order to avoid the interfaces problems observed in chalcogenide glasses, we have developed a new casting method to prepare the chalcogenide preform. This method allows to reach optical losses around 0.4 dB/m at 1.55 µm and less than 0.05 dB/m in the mid IR. Various As(38)Se(62) chalcogenide microstructured fibers have been prepared in order to combine large non linear index of these glasses with the mode control offered by MOF structures. Small core fibers have been drawn to enhance the non linearities. In one of these, three Stokes order have been generated by Raman scattering in a suspended core MOF pumped at 1995 nm.

Beam Shaping of Single-Mode and Multimode Fiber Amplifier Arrays for Propagation Through Atmospheric Turbulence

We report experimental results and theoretical analysis of coherent beam combining with active phase control fiber beam shaping. An original optical configuration for target-in-the-loop single-mode fiber amplifier coherent combining through turbulence is presented, with a lambda/15 residual phase error. The experimental results and theoretical analysis demonstrate that detection subsystem aperture reduction is paramount to lower sensitivity to backward turbulence when using a detector in the laser emitter plane. In this configuration, coherent combining is achieved on a remote scattering surface with sole compensation of the onward turbulence. We also present a numerical model capable of assessing the combining efficiency in the case of high-power multimode large-mode-area (LMA) fiber amplifiers. Preliminary theoretical investigations point out that multiple-transverse-mode combining can result in severe wavefront distortion. In the case of multimode LMA fibers, control of the transverse modes phase relationship has to be achieved to preserve combining efficiency.

Coherent beam combination of narrow-linewidth 1.5 μm fiber amplifiers in a long-pulse regime.

We report what we believe to be the first experimental demonstration of coherent beam combining of two fiber amplifiers in a 100 ns pulse regime using a signal leak between the pulses. Pulses of ∼100 W stimulated-Brillouin-scattering limited peak power are combined with 95% efficiency, a residual phase error of λ/27, and no significant beam quality degradation.

Pulsed 1.5-

In this paper, we present the development of an axial aircraft wake vortex light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor, working in Mie scattering regime, based on pulsed 1.5-mu m high-brightness large-core fiber amplifier. An end-to-end Doppler heterodyne LIDAR simulator is used for the LIDAR design. The simulation includes the observation geometry, the wake vortex velocity image, the scanning pattern, the LIDAR instrument, the wind turbulence outside the vortex, and the signal processing. An innovative high-brightness pulsed 1.5-mum laser source is described, based on a master oscillator power fiber amplifier (MOPFA) architecture with a large-core fiber. The obtained beam quality is excellent (M 2 = 1.3), and achieved pulsed energy is 120 muJ with a pulse repetition frequency of 12 kHz and a pulse duration of 800 ns. A Doppler heterodyne LIDAR is developed based on this laser source with a high-isolation free-space circulator. The LIDAR includes a real-time display of the wind field. Wind dispersion is postprocessed. Field tests carried out at Orly airport in April 2008 are reported. Axial aircraft wake vortex signatures have been successfully observed and acquired at a range of 1.2 km with axial resolution of 75 m for the first time with fiber laser source.

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We report on what we believe to be the first demonstration of an erbium-ytterbium-doped multifilament-core (MFC) fiber for single-mode amplification of narrow linewidth high peak power pulses. A master-oscillator-power-fiber-amplifier laser source has been demonstrated using a 37-filament MFC fiber in the last amplification stage. Pulses with 750 microJ (940 W peak power) and laser linewidth<1 MHz have beam generated with M2 approximately 1.3. This value is close to the theoretical value M2 approximately 1.5.

m LIDAR for Axial Aircraft Wake Vortex Detection Based on High-Brightness Large-Core Fiber Amplifier

Cascaded Raman wavelength shifting up to the fourth order ranging from 2092 to 2450 nm is demonstrated using a nanosecond pump at 1995 nm in a low-loss As(38)Se(62) suspended-core microstructured fiber. These four Stokes shifts are obtained with a low peak power of 11 W, and only 3 W are required to obtain three shifts. The Raman gain coefficient for the fiber is estimated to (1.6±0.5)×10(-11) m/W at 1995 nm. The positions and the amplitudes of the Raman peaks are well reproduced by the numerical simulations of the nonlinear propagation.

Multifilament-core fibers for high energy pulse amplification at 1.5 μm with excellent beam quality

Dynamic regimes of high-peak-power erbium–ytterbium (Er3+–Yb3+) codoped fiber amplifiers are analyzed for nanosecond-to-microsecond pulses. High-energy pulse generation requires a large-core fiber amplifier to increase energy storage and the threshold of nonlinear effects. A numerical model of large-core Er3+–Yb3+ fiber amplifiers is described. Dynamics of peak powers, amplified spontaneous emission, and population inversion are presented. Influence of radial dependence and reflections at the extremities are studied. Modeling and experimental results are compared for simple-pass and double-pass amplifier configurations. The role of parasitic reflections is highlighted. A semianalytical model is derived for low and high repetition rates.

Fourth-order cascaded Raman shift in AsSe chalcogenide suspended-core fiber pumped at 2 μm

Cascaded Stokes waves generation due to stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) of coherent optical pulses in a double-cladding Er/sup 3+/-Yb/sup 3+/ codoped fiber amplifier is reported. The highest attainable output power strongly depends on the amplifier pumping arrangement. A maximum of 40-W peak power has been obtained in counterpumping configuration. The highest energy extracted from the single-mode fiber amplifier in 1-/spl mu/s pulses is limited SBS to 15 /spl mu/J. Theses results have been theoretically confirmed using coupled-waves SBS model.

Dynamics of high-power erbium–ytterbium fiber amplifiers

Coherent beam combining of fiber amplifier arrays is a promising way to increase power of fiber lasers, and overcome the physical limitations to fiber laser power scaling. We performed the coherent combining of fiber amplifier arrays using active control of the phase of each amplifier. The phase fluctuations in the fiber amplifiers have been measured and their effect on the beam combining process stability evaluated. We extended the coherent beam combining technique to perform wavefront shaping, in order to deliver a high brightness beam after turbulent atmospheric propagation. We present experimental results exhibiting the capability of the modulation multiplexing technique that we implemented to compensate phase fluctuations due to turbulent atmospheric propagation on the laser beam path. Moreover, and for the first time to our knowledge, we demonstrate automatic coherent combining of fiber amplifiers on a diffuse surface, after propagation through turbulent atmosphere, without any external turbulence measurement subsystem.

Multiple-Stokes stimulated Brillouin scattering generation in pulsed high-power double-cladding Er/sup 3+/-Yb/sup 3+/-codoped fiber amplifier

This paper reports the main characteristics of the Stokes spectra for typical pumped and unpumped Erbium-Ytterbium doped fibers. Doped fibers show shorter Brillouin shifts and their spectra are up to 1.6 times broader than undoped fibers. Those spectra are composed of several peaks originating from several longitudinal acoustic modes. The effective Brillouin gain of the secondary modes can be as large as 20% of the main peak gain. They can merge into a more complex structure for the largest cores. Simulations allow to relate these characteristics to the influence of codoping and index profile inhomogeneity. An additional broadening of the Stokes spectrum in pumped fibers is reported and attributed to thermal effects.