Higher-order-mode fiber optimized for energetic soliton propagation

Area of Science:

• Nonlinear optics
• Optical fiber technology
• Laser physics

Background:

• Higher-order-mode (HOM) fibers enable novel light propagation characteristics.
• Energetic soliton propagation is crucial for various photonic applications.
• Previous solid-core fibers had limitations in handling high pulse energies below 1300 nm.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and optimize a HOM fiber for efficient energetic soliton propagation.
• To achieve pulse energies significantly exceeding previous records in solid-core fibers.
• To explore soliton self-frequency shift in the optimized HOM fiber.

Main Methods:

• Design optimization of a higher-order-mode fiber.
• Fabrication of the optimized HOM fiber.
• Experimental pumping of the fiber using a femtosecond fiber laser at 1045 nm.
• Characterization of soliton parameters including temporal duration and pulse energy.

Main Results:

• A novel HOM fiber was successfully fabricated based on design criteria.
• Soliton self-frequency shift was observed, shifting the center wavelength to 1085 nm.
• A pulse energy of 6.3 nJ was achieved with a temporal duration of 216 fs.
• The demonstrated pulse energy is approximately six times higher than the previous record for solid-core fibers below 1300 nm.

Conclusions:

• The optimized HOM fiber design facilitates significantly higher energetic soliton propagation.
• This advancement opens possibilities for new applications requiring high-energy ultrashort pulses.
• The results demonstrate the potential of HOM fibers for surpassing limitations in conventional optical fibers.