Solitary thermal shock-waves and optical damage in optical fibres
Solitary thermal shock-waves and optical damage in optical fibres
Thermally-induced catastrophic optical breakdown is clearly of great importance for fiber-based laser-light delivery systems. Fiber core can be destroyed irreparably at rates of 1 m/s by breakdown that starts at a locally heated point and travels back towards the laser; that the damage tracks left behind are often elegantly uniform and periodic is only a slight recompense. Breakdown can occur at relatively modest intensities (we have recorded 2.8 mW/µm in a multimode fibre at blue/green wavelengths), and has been observed in many different fibres at both Ar+ and Nd:YAG laser wavelengths. We initiate the effect by heating the fibre with a small flame whilst the laser light is propagating within it. A solitary thermal shock-wave is created which propagates along the fibre towards the laser, leaving the core permanently damaged and unable to guide light. Associated with this shock-wave is a bright spot of side-scattered light which can be observed propagating along the fibre; for this reason we have named the effect the "fibre-fuse". Similar thermal shock-waves have previously been seen in gases ("laser-induced deflagration waves")
Hand, D.P.
a08ad5b2-7543-4a99-a1d2-e14934ee0faf
Russell, P.St.J.
77db5e8d-8223-4806-ae60-a106619a022a
2 June 1988
Hand, D.P.
a08ad5b2-7543-4a99-a1d2-e14934ee0faf
Russell, P.St.J.
77db5e8d-8223-4806-ae60-a106619a022a
Hand, D.P. and Russell, P.St.J.
(1988)
Solitary thermal shock-waves and optical damage in optical fibres.
IEE Colloquium on Non-Linear Optical Waveguides, London, United Kingdom.
02 Jun 1988.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
Thermally-induced catastrophic optical breakdown is clearly of great importance for fiber-based laser-light delivery systems. Fiber core can be destroyed irreparably at rates of 1 m/s by breakdown that starts at a locally heated point and travels back towards the laser; that the damage tracks left behind are often elegantly uniform and periodic is only a slight recompense. Breakdown can occur at relatively modest intensities (we have recorded 2.8 mW/µm in a multimode fibre at blue/green wavelengths), and has been observed in many different fibres at both Ar+ and Nd:YAG laser wavelengths. We initiate the effect by heating the fibre with a small flame whilst the laser light is propagating within it. A solitary thermal shock-wave is created which propagates along the fibre towards the laser, leaving the core permanently damaged and unable to guide light. Associated with this shock-wave is a bright spot of side-scattered light which can be observed propagating along the fibre; for this reason we have named the effect the "fibre-fuse". Similar thermal shock-waves have previously been seen in gases ("laser-induced deflagration waves")
More information
Published date: 2 June 1988
Venue - Dates:
IEE Colloquium on Non-Linear Optical Waveguides, London, United Kingdom, 1988-06-02 - 1988-06-02
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 77587
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/77587
PURE UUID: 5e98a908-362b-4182-b2bf-639f84a91391
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Date deposited: 11 Mar 2010
Last modified: 13 Mar 2024 23:55
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Contributors
Author:
D.P. Hand
Author:
P.St.J. Russell
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