Fundamental Challenges in Mid-Infrared Fiber Laser Research
Hosted By: Fundamental Laser Sciences Technical Group
22 November 2021 15:00 - 16:00
Eastern Time (US & Canada) (UTC -05:00)The mid-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum has long attracted much scientific and technological interest due to the fact that virtually all molecules have their rotational-vibrational absorption lines in this wavelength range. For this reason, the mid-IR is often referred to as the “molecular fingerprint” region. Owing to the high-impact applications that result from the strong molecule-photon interaction, such as trace molecular detection for airport security screening and non-invasive breath analysis, research in mid-IR lasers and photonics has become one of the hottest topics in modern optics research. Despite this large global effort, the performance of state-of-the-art mid-infrared sources is nowhere near what can be offered by off-the-shelf near-infrared sources, for example industrial fiber laser systems.
In this webinar hosted by the Fundamental Laser Sciences Technical Group, Robert Woodward will address the particular challenges that are unique in the mid-infrared part of the spectrum and potential routes to overcome those issues. This will include a discussion of higher lying atomic transitions, anti-bottlenecking approaches, different low-phonon energy glasses and more.
What You Will Learn:
- Why is the mid-infrared such an important spectral region for many applications?
- What are the fundamental differences between novel mid-infrared fiber laser systems and their traditional near-infrared counterparts?
- How could the particular challenges that currently impede progress in mid-infrared fiber laser technology be overcome in the future?
Who Should Attend:
- Everyone interested in fundamental mid-infrared fiber laser science
- From graduate students and early-career researchers to senior academics
- Industry representatives
About the Presenter: Robert Woodward
Robert received an MA and MEng in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge in 2012, followed by a PhD at Imperial College London in the area of laser physics and nonlinear fibre optics. After a further one-year fellowship at Imperial, he moved to Sydney, Australia to take up an MQ Research Fellowship at Macquarie University. In early 2019, Robert returned to Cambridge to join Toshiba Research Europe Ltd. as a Research Scientist developing quantum communication systems, as part of the UK Government’s Quantum Communications Hub.
