https://doi.org/10.1007/s100530070072
On the design of a Nd3+ doped silica fiber-laser using a cholesteric liquid crystal mirror
Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Interfaces et Applications, Université d'Artois, Faculté des Sciences Jean Perrin, rue Jean Souvraz, S.P. 18, 62307 Lens Cedex, France
Received:
21
October
1999
Revised:
7
February
2000
Published online: 15 September 2000
We report operation of a Nd3+-doped fiber-laser using a cholesteric liquid crystal acting as a narrow band reflector. The aim of this work is to apply to a fiber-laser the particular optical properties of an helical structure, whatever is the medium exhibiting this structure, either a liquid crystal or either any other material. The advantage of the use of these mediums in the design of fiber-lasers is that they can favourably take the place, in an easy and compact way, of several optical elements such as a polarizer and a quarter-wave plate at one and the same time. This technology promises to design rugged compact low cost tunable coherent sources the lasing range of which can easily be adjusted. We emphasize here the particular part played by the cholesteric liquid crystal-glass interface in the laser action of the fiber.
PACS: 42.55.Wd – Fiber lasers / 42.70.Df – Liquid crystals
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2000
