Anti-Resonant Hollow Core High Power Delivery Fiber for SBS Mitigation

This program will study and demonstrate novel air guiding fibers to address critical optical power handling limitations of current optical fibers. The innovative antiresonant hollow core fiber designs proposed here, have the potential for high power light transport over long fiber lengths with orders of magnitude higher damage and nonlinear thresholds compared to solid core fibers. In particular, the fibers aimed in this SBIR program are projected to deliver single mode narrow linewidth CW power in the 10 kW-100 kW range over a distance >60 feet without detrimental SBS and other nonlinear effects. Fibers with this level of performance fulfill an important need as an enabling technology for HEL laser systems. However, this SBIR will also foster the development and commercialization of advanced hollow core fibers by a US company - an area where the US is currently not active, and so far we have relied on foreign vendors.