High Efficiency Fiber Laser for Advanced Accelerator

The Department of Energy has identified a need for a single-polarization, mode-locked, high-power, 2-micron fiber laser for an advanced laser electron accelerator. The 2-micron laser wavelength would allow for both larger accelerator dimensions and the acceleration of more charge, compared to the 0.8 micron Ti:Sapphire laser. Another advantage of the 2-micron wavelength is the possibility of using silicon instead of quartz as a material for the accelerator. This project will develop this 2-micron fiber laser using Tm-doped fibers with an extremely large, single-mode core diameter. Phase I will design and fabricate Tm-doped glasses and fibers, characterize the spectroscopic properties of Tm ions, demonstrate a highly-efficient near-2-micron fiber laser with a wide wavelength range, and build and demonstrate a prototype device. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The new fiber laser should be applicable to the development of advanced laser electron accelerators. The fiber laser also should find use in materials processing, remote sensing, and bio-medical applications.