High-power Q-switched rod-type photonic-crystal-fiber laser with linear polarization

Abstract

We have developed a high-power Q-switched laser based on a ytterbium-doped rod-type photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with a 100-µm core size. Thanks to the big core size and the high pump absorption of the rod-type PCF, energetic high-peak-power laser pulses can be generated from a short-length Q-switched rod-type PCF laser. The maximal pulse energy is 3.3 mJ with a pulse duration of 13 ns, yielding a 0.25-MW peak power, and the maximal average power is more than 250 W at a high repetition rate of 150 kHz. With a polarizer installed inside the laser cavity, a high degree of linear polarization is achieved even at the maximal output energy.