Solar-pumped fiber laser using a solid-state luminescent solar collector

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Renewable Energy Technologies
• Materials Science

Background:

• Traditional solar-pumped lasers often require complex focusing optics and sun-tracking systems.
• Luminescent solar collectors (LSCs) offer a promising alternative for direct solar-to-laser energy conversion.
• Previous solid-state LSCs have shown limitations in efficiency and power output.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a fully planar, sun-tracking-free solar-pumped fiber laser.
• To enhance the efficiency of luminescent solar collectors for laser applications.
• To investigate the performance of a solid-state LSC integrated with dielectric multilayer mirrors.

Main Methods:

• Development of a planar solar-pumped fiber laser system utilizing a solid-state luminescent solar collector (LSC).
• Integration of total internal reflection principles within the solid-state LSC.
• Incorporation of dielectric multilayer mirrors to enhance light trapping and collection efficiency.
• Numerical simulations to predict and validate laser performance.

Main Results:

• The developed planar solar-pumped fiber laser operates without any focusing devices, eliminating the need for sun tracking.
• The device achieved an output power of 15 mW with an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 0.023% and a collection efficiency of 0.21 W/m².
• A significant 12-fold improvement in performance was observed compared to previous liquid LSC systems.
• Experimental results closely matched predictions from numerical simulations.

Conclusions:

• The developed solid-state luminescent solar collector-based solar-pumped fiber laser is a highly effective and efficient solar energy conversion device.
• The planar design and integration of total internal reflection with dielectric mirrors overcome limitations of previous LSC technologies.
• This technology offers a simplified and robust approach for solar-powered laser generation, paving the way for practical applications.