Comparison of the threshold of thermal-induced mode instabilities in polarization-maintaining and non-polarization-maintaining active fibers. (5th April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tao, Rumao; Ma, Pengfei; Wang, Xiaolin; Zhou, Pu; Liu, Zejin
• Is Part Of: Journal of optics. Volume 18:Number 6(2016:Jun.)
• Publication Date: 2016-04-05
• Subjects: fiber laser -- polarization -- mode instabilities -- thermal effects; 42.55.Wd -- 42.81.Gs -- 78.20.N-; Optics -- Periodicals; 535.05
• DOI: 10.1088/2040-8978/18/6/065501
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2040-8978

Abstract

Abstract: We present an investigation on the threshold of thermal-induced mode instability (MI) in ytterbium-doped polarization-maintaining and non-polarization-maintaining active fibers. By taking both electric fields along the two principal axes into consideration, we extend a previous steady-state theoretical model to analyze the polarization effect on MI. Based on the model, we analyzed whether maintaining the fiber's polarization direction has an effect on the MI threshold, which showed that, for practical high power fiber laser systems, the MI threshold is nearly the same for polarization-maintaining and non-polarization-maintaining active fibers. Experimental validation of the theoretical analysis is presented with experimental results agreeing with the theoretical results, in which polarization-maintained and non-polarization-maintained fiber lasers with similar core/inner cladding diameters are employed.