Passive Multiple Beam Combination in Optical Fibers via Stimulated Brillouin Scattering
Abstract
The goal of this research was to demonstrate the feasibility of passively combining multiple laser beams using Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) in a long multimode optical fiber. This method of combination employed a "Gatling gun" fiber array that allowed several collimated beams to be focused by a lens into an optical fiber. The ability to combine four single-mode off-axis input beams using a fiber array and a long multimode optical fiber was demonstrated. The Stokes beam generated by the four off-axis input beams was found to be near Gaussian with an M(2) value of </= 1.08. The maximum average reflected power was approximately 50 mW with a conversion efficiency of 3.5% and a slope efficiency of 11.4%. The deleterious effects of the addition of an off-axis side channel was demonstrated. The addition of just one side channel caused the Stokes beam to become erratic and fluctuate in intensity with no discernible period.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA450062
Entities
People
- Kirk C. Brown
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory