Bragg fibers for delivery of laser radiation in a spectral region 1900-2300 nm

Sponsor: Czech Science foundation

Principal investigator: Vlastimil Matějec, Ph.D.

From: 2016-01-01

To: 2018-12-31

The project is generally aimed at research of new hollo-core Bragg fibers for transmitting laser radiation at wavelengths of 1900-2300 nm. In such fibers with a well-designed Bragg cladding light is guided in the core with low losses. The project aim will be achieved through theoretical fiber design and its realization by an original methodology developed in the project. The methodology employs sol-gel techniques for applying a multilayered Bragg cladding onto the inner wall of a substrate glass capillary in lengths up to ten meters. High-index layers are prepared from chalcogenide sols and low-index ones from nanosilica or magnesium flouride sols. For testing prepared fibers for laser power delivery experimental set-ups employing a continual thulium laser with a maximum output power of 50 W operating at 1940 nm will be studied. For longer wavelengths up to 2300 nm laboratory-developed lasers will be used. The project will bring novel knowledge on solution-based methods for preparation of special optical fibers, methods of their characterization and samples of the fibers.