Avoiding mode instability in an optical amplifier fiber

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for stably transmitting laser radiation through an optical waveguide (3), wherein two or more modes of the laser radiation propagating in the optical waveguide (3) interfere and form a mode interference pattern in the optical waveguide, as a result of which a thermally induced refractive index grating is produced in the optical waveguide (3). It is an object of the invention to demonstrate an effective approach for stabilizing the output signal of the optical waveguide (3) in a fiber-based laser/amplifier combination at high output powers, i.e. for avoiding mode instability. The invention achieves this object by virtue of the fact that a relative spatial phase shift between the mode interference pattern and the thermally induced refractive index grating is set in the direction of propagation of the laser radiation. In addition, the invention relates to a laser/amplifier combination comprising a laser (1) and an optical waveguide (3) in the form of an amplifier fiber, wherein the optical waveguide (3) amplifies the radiation of the laser (1) propagating therein. The invention proposes an actuating element (7), which produces a predefinable relative spatial phase shift of the mode interference pattern and of the thermally induced refractive index grating in the direction of propagation of the laser radiation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.