Degradation effects in high peak power pulsed fibre lasers

"High peak power pulsed fiber lasers are advanced laser systems capable of emitting intense bursts of optical energy in brief durations and excellent beam quality. Their compact design, efficiency, and versatility make them ideal for various applications, including materials processing, micromachining, medical procedures, and defence technologies.

By delivering concentrated energy in short pulses, they enable precise material ablation, welding, and cutting, facilitating intricate manufacturing processes with minimal heat-affected zones. The continuous advancements in fiber laser technology continue to enhance their performance, opening new avenues for research and industrial innovation.

However, it has been observed that high peak power pulsed fibre lasers can suffer from output power and beam quality degradation, which manifest them selves after long (100s to 1000s hours) operation time. It is believed that these detrimental effects are likely to be due to yet unidentified photodarkening or photodensification effects, associated with high peak power operation.

Within this project, we will investigate the potential root causes of the observed effects, identify techniques to accelerate the aging process and propose mitigation strategies through appropriate material choices and/or optimum fibre designs and fibre laser architectures. "