Antiguided Ribbon Laser Concept

[摘要] We propose a new, robustly scalable technique for phase locking multiple gain cores in a fiber structure based on antiguiding or radiative coupling, rather than the more commonly pursued method of evanescent wave phase locking. Our focus is on a ribbon-like geometry in which a waveguide region contains multiple gain cores arranged in a periodic array. The distinguishing feature of such antiguiding structures is that refractive index of the gain cores is lower than or equal to that of the surrounding waveguide regions. This is just the opposite of evanescently phase locked structures in which the gain cores have higher refractive index than the surrounding regions. The critical design considerations in the structures proposed within are: first that they strongly favor oscillation in a single transverse mode, and second that this strongly favored mode exhibits good intensity uniformity across the entire array of gain cores. We require single mode operation so that a static phase corrector placed in the near field of the ribbon laser's output can optimize the phase across the aperture to achieve a high Strehl ratio in the far field. The requirement that the strongly favored mode exhibit good uniformity across the entire array of gain cores is necessary to ensure that the ribbon structure's gain saturates in a uniform manner, so as not to increase the propensity of the device to operate in multiple transverse modes. Taken together, these two design considerations lead to the surprising result that optimized structures have equal refractive indices in their gain cores and the no-gain surrounding waveguide regions.

[发布日期] 2000-12-13 [发布机构] Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

[关键词] Fibers;Geometry;70 Plasma Physics And Fusion Technology;Apertures;Waveguides