dc.contributor.author | Eaton, Dean | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2023-07-17 14:09:12 (GMT) | |
dc.date.available | 2023-07-17 14:09:12 (GMT) | |
dc.date.issued | 2023-07-17 | |
dc.date.submitted | 2023-06-06 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10012/19614 | |
dc.description.abstract | Ultrafast laser systems are used in a wide variety of modern laser research. The combination
of an all-normal dispersion fiber laser and a gain-managed nonlinear fiber amplifier makes for
inexpensive and easy to build system that can generate ultrashort pulses with high average
power. In this thesis I explore the improvements and optimizations made to such a system
for use in making a two-color laser amplifier system, to be used for projects such as multi frequency Raman generation. An all-normal dispersion fiber mode-locked laser was developed
for our group, but modifications were necessary to improve both the ease of mode-locking and
extend the duration of self-sustaining. Spectral filtering is the key aspect of the mode-locking
operations of an all-normal dispersion fiber laser and it is the mode-locking that generates the
ultrashort pulses. This spectral filtering was optimized to improve the ease of mode-locking.
The pulses at the output of the mode-locked laser were found to be too long to allow the
maximum spectral broadening in the gain-managed nonlinear amplifier. Compression of these
pulses with a grating compressor caused the amplified spectrum to be significantly broadened
by the nonlinear optical interaction in the fiber. The resulting spectra of the nonlinear amplifier
were analyzed as a function of seed power and pump power (up to an upper limit before the
introduction of incoherent noise that seeds Raman scattering creating a red shoulder on the
spectrum). The result of these investigations is an optimized laser system that produces a train
of pulses with energy of 176nJ, a bandwidth exceeding 100nm, and an uncompressed pulse
duration of approximately 6ps. The system can now deliver the needed energy and bandwidth
for the two-color amplification experiments that will be conducted in the future with this laser
system. | en |
dc.language.iso | en | en |
dc.publisher | University of Waterloo | en |
dc.subject | nonlinear optics | en |
dc.subject | fiber amplifier | en |
dc.subject | fiber laser | en |
dc.subject | ultrafast | en |
dc.subject | ultrashort pulses | en |
dc.title | Optimization of an All Normal Dispersion Fiber Laser and a Gain Managed Nonlinear Amplifier | en |
dc.type | Master Thesis | en |
dc.pending | false | |
uws-etd.degree.department | Physics and Astronomy | en |
uws-etd.degree.discipline | Physics | en |
uws-etd.degree.grantor | University of Waterloo | en |
uws-etd.degree | Master of Science | en |
uws-etd.embargo.terms | 0 | en |
uws.contributor.advisor | Strickland, Donna | |
uws.contributor.affiliation1 | Faculty of Science | en |
uws.published.city | Waterloo | en |
uws.published.country | Canada | en |
uws.published.province | Ontario | en |
uws.typeOfResource | Text | en |
uws.peerReviewStatus | Unreviewed | en |
uws.scholarLevel | Graduate | en |