Optical scientists have made groundbreaking discoveries, breathing new life into fiber lasers. This pioneering approach substantially amplifies laser power without compromising beam quality, paving the way for crucial defense technology against cost-effective drones and remote sensing applications in the future.
A collaborative research effort involving the University of South Australia, the University of Adelaide, and Yale University has harnessed the potential of multimode fiber, achieving a remarkable 3 to 9 times increase in the power of fiber lasers while preserving beam quality. This advancement enables precise targeting over extended distances.
Published in the journal Nature Communications, the research outlines a breakthrough schematic diagram illustrating the suppression of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and the resultant output focusing, elucidating the technical principles behind this achievement.
This innovative technology induces multiple modes in multimode optical fiber, significantly elevating the SBS threshold power. At its core, the method generates a diffraction-limited light spot near the fiber output by modulating the relative phase of the fiber mode, producing a focused effect through lens collimation.
Researchers anticipate that this groundbreaking approach will usher in unprecedentedly high power output for fiber lasers. The applications of such technology extend across the defense industry, remote sensing, gravitational wave detection, and other fields, promising remarkable advancements for future development.
