Experimental investigations of seeding mechanisms of TMI in rod fiber amplifier using spatially and temporally resolved imaging

Polarization-resolved mode evolution in TMI-limited Yb-doped fiber amplifiers using a novel high-speed Stokes polarimeter

In this work we have developed a high-speed Stokes polarimeter method based on simultaneous 4-channel imaging with a high-speed camera. Thus, current speed limitations of imaging polarimeters for wavelengths around 1 µm can be overcome, allowing a sub-ms polarization-resolved characterization of transverse mode instability (TMI). Additionally, the Stokes parameters of each individual mode are calculated by a simultaneous 4-beam mode reconstruction algorithm during post-processing and can be analyzed with unprecedented temporal resolution. We demonstrate the measurement capabilities of this polarimeter setup by characterizing TMI of a large-mode-area Yb-doped polarization maintaining (PM) fiber amplifier with 30 kHz video frame rate. Upon thorough characterization, we have found for the first time that at the onset of TMI in a PM fiber, the modal polarization states begin to oscillate on circular and elliptical trajectories at the same frequencies as the modal energy transfer occurs. The ability to measure the modal polarization states with sub-ms temporal resolution is key to developing a fundamental understanding and subsequently possible mitigation strategies of TMI in PM-fiber lasers.

Characterization of transverse mode instability with a 4-quadrant photodiode

Transverse mode instability (TMI) represents the main limitation for the power scaling of fiber laser systems with a diffraction-limited beam quality. In this context, it has become increasingly important to find a cheap and reliable way to monitor and characterize TMI and distinguish this effect from other dynamic perturbations. In this work, with the help of a position-sensitive detector, a novel method is developed to characterize the TMI dynamics even in the presence of power fluctuations. The position information of the fluctuating beam is recorded in the X- and Y-axis of the detector, which are used to track the temporal evolution of the center of gravity of the beam. The trajectories described by the beam within a specific time window contain rich information about TMI, which can be used to gain further insight into this phenomenon.

175 W average power from a single-core rod fiber-based chirped-pulse-amplification system

We report on a fiber-based chirped-pulse-amplification laser system with bulk transmission grating compression to a pulse duration of 357 fs, average power of 175 W, and pulse energy of 233μ J. The compressed pulse train has a beam quality factor M² of 1.21. The power amplifier is based on a state-of-the-art single-mode photonic crystal rod-type ytterbium-doped fiber operating at 248 W of average power and a repetition rate of 750 kHz. The long-term stability of the laser system has been tested continuously for more than 4000 hours and shows no sign of transverse mode instability.

Pump RIN reduction of the TMI threshold powers in Yb-doped kW class fiber amplifiers

A 3D spatially resolved coupled mode and perturbation analysis for the transverse mode instability threshold powers in Yb-doped fiber amplifiers is extended to include threshold power reduction induced by the pump laser relative intensity noise (RIN). A static intensity grating combines with the fluctuating pump intensity to generate an inversion standing wave. The forward component of the standing wave contributes to the nonlinear coupling between the fundamental mode and the higher-order mode (HOM), thereby reducing the threshold power. It is estimated that a pump RIN level <-150dB/Hz is required to achieve quantum limited performance. The model also quantifies the impact of unwanted laser power in the HOM on the threshold power reduction. The threshold power calculations as a function of RIN and laser power in the HOM are in qualitative agreement with recently published experimental measurements.

Observation of dynamical eigenmodes induced by the moving refractive index grating of TMI in a rod amplifier

We report a novel, to the best of our knowledge, analysis of high power rod fiber amplifiers by monitoring the cross-polarization of the output. Spatially and temporally resolved imaging of co- and cross-polarizations at high power amplification reveals dynamic eigenmode behavior of the rod fiber. The dynamic of the eigenmodes is caused by the moving refractive index grating written by the modal interference pattern of transverse mode instability and is the first direct observation of this refractive index grating, to our knowledge.