Light-matter interaction in hollow-core photonic crystal fibre
The Gas-Laser Devices Team's focus is on taking the newly developed Photonic Bandgap Fibre technology and using it to improve the laser-matter interaction in active gases such as hydrogen and acetylene. The benefits of having a hollow core are numerous:
- Laser light is confined in a µm scale core and guided for hundreds of metres, hugely improving the figure of merit of the interaction. This means a reduction of the laser power required for the interaction.
- Only millilitres of gas are required to fill the core and get interesting interactions.
- The fibre gas cell weighs a few milligrams and can be easily coiled on a credit card.
Because the fibre is lightweight, requires a small amount of gas, and provides excellent laser-matter interaction efficiency, it has the potential to replace any conventional gas-laser system:
Stimulated Raman Scattering in Hydrogen
Less than a µJ of pump laser power is required to start the process and get up to 80% of Raman conversion to the first Stokes.
Laser Guidance
Particles, molecules or even atoms could be guided for hundreds of metres by the laser induced force that guides particles inside the hollow core of the fibre.
Laser Frequency Metrology using Acetylene
Transparency techniques such as saturable absorption and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) are easily achieved in HC-PCF fibres and can lead to sub kHz laser frequency stability.
High Harmonic Generation
High power lasers and high efficiency fibre join up to generate high harmonics in argon gas.
Most of these subjects have already generated a vast interest in the press, including Nature, Science and Physical Review Letters.
Gas-Laser Devices Team
Gas Phase Photonic Materials Team.
Any queries should be addressed to Dr. Benabid .
