Effect of suction on macular thickness and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness during LASIK used femtosecond laser and Moria M2 microkeratome

·AIM: To compare the effect of suction on the macular thickness and retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL) thickness during laser in situ keratomileusis(LASIK) used Ziemer FEMTO LDV femtosecond laser(Ziemer group) and Moria M2 automated microkeratome(Moria group) for flap creation.· METHODS: Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography(FD-OCT) was used to measure macular thickness, ganglion cell complex thickness and RNFL thickness of 204 eyes of 102 patients with the Ziemer femtosecond laser(102 eyes) and the Moria M2microkeratome(102 eyes) before surgery and 30min; 1,3d; 1wk; 1, 3mo; 1y after surgery.· RESULTS: The average foveal thickness and parafoveal retinal thickness 30 min after the surgery were statistically more than that before surgery(Ziemer P 【0.001,P =0.003 and Moria P=0.001, P=0.006) and the effect was less in the Ziemer group than that in the Moria group(P all 【0.05). The ganglion cell complex thickness was not significantly changed in both groups(P all 】0.05). The RNFL thickness was statistically less 30 min after surgery in both groups(P=0.014, P 【0.001), but the influence was less in Ziemer group than that in Moria group(P =0.038).However, the RNFL thickness had recovered to the preoperative level only 1d after surgery.·CONCLUSION: The suction of femtosecond laser and mechanical microkeratome led to the increase in macular central fovea thickness and the decrease in RNFL thickness values at the early stage after LASIK. The effect of suction on macular and the RNFL thicknesses in Ziemer group is smaller than that in Moria group.

Advances in femtosecond laser direct writing of fiber Bragg gratings in multicore fibers:technology,sensor and laser applications

In this article,we review recent advances in the technology of writing fiber Bragg gratings(FBGs)in selected cores of multicore fibers(MCFs)by using femtosecond laser pulses.The writing technology of such a key element as the FBG opens up wide opportunities for the creation of next generation fiber lasers and sensors based on MCFs.The advantages of the technology are shown by using the examples of 3D shape sensors,acoustic emission sensors with spatially multiplexed channels,as well as multicore fiber Raman lasers.

Femtosecond laser fabrication of nanograting-based distributed fiber sensors for extreme environmental applications

The femtosecond laser has emerged as a powerful tool for micro-and nanoscale device fabrication. Through nonlinear ionization processes, nanometer-sized material modifications can be inscribed in transparent materials for device fabrication. This paper describes femtosecond precision inscription of nanograting in silica fiber cores to form both distributed and point fiber sensors for sensing applications in extreme environmental conditions. Through the use of scanning electron microscope imaging and laser processing optimization,high-temperature stable, Type II femtosecond laser modifications were continuously inscribed,point by point, with only an insertion loss at 1 d B m~(-1) or 0.001 d B per point sensor device.High-temperature performance of fiber sensors was tested at 1000℃, which showed a temperature fluctuation of ±5.5℃ over 5 days. The low laser-induced insertion loss in optical fibers enabled the fabrication of a 1.4 m, radiation-resilient distributed fiber sensor. The in-pile testing of the distributed fiber sensor further showed that fiber sensors can execute stable and distributed temperature measurements in extreme radiation environments. Overall, this paper demonstrates that femtosecond-laser-fabricated fiber sensors are suitable measurement devices for applications in extreme environments.

Generation of wideband tunable femtosecond laser based on nonlinear propagation of power-scaled mode-locked femtosecond laser pulses in photonic crystal fiber

We implement an experimental study for the generation of wideband tunable femtosecond laser with a home-made power-scaled mode-locked fiber oscillator as the pump source.By coupling the sub-100 fs mode-locked pulses into a nonlinear photonic crystal fiber(NL-PCF),the exited spectra have significant nonlinear broadening and cover a spectra range of hundreds of nm.In experiment,by reasonably optimizing the structure parameters of NL-PCF and regulating the power of the incident pulses,femtosecond laser with tuning range of 900-1290 nm is realized.The research approach promotes the development of femtosecond lasers with center wavelengths out of the traditional laser gain media toward the direction of simplicity and ease of implementation.

Femtosecond Tm-Ho co-doped fiber laser using a bulk-structured Bi2Se3 topological insulator

We experimentally demonstrate a femtosecond mode-locked thulium-holmium（Tm-Ho） co-doped fiber laser incorporating a saturable absorber（SA） based on a bulk-structured bismuth selenide（Bi2Se3） topological insulator（TI）. The SA was prepared by depositing a mechanically exfoliated Bi2Se3 TI layer onto a side-polished optical fiber platform. Unlike high-quality nano-structured Bi2Se3 TI-based SA, bulk-structured Bi2Se3 with non-negligible oxidation was used as a saturable absorption material for this experimental demonstration due to its easy fabrication process. The saturation power and modulation depth of the prepared SA were measured to be -28.6 W and -13.4%, respectively. By incorporating the prepared SA into a Tm-Ho co-doped fiber ring cavity, stable soliton pulses with a temporal width of - 853 fs could be generated at 1912.12 nm. The 3-dB bandwidth of the mode-locked pulse was measured to be -4.87 nm. This experimental demonstration reaffirms that Bi2Se3 is a superb base material for mid-infrared passive mode-locking even under oxidation.

Tunable Supercontinuum Generated in a Yb^3＋-Doped Microstructure Fiber Pumped by Ti：Sapphire Femtosecond Laser

We experimentally demonstrate that a tunable supercontinuum（SC） can be generated in a Yb3＋-doped microstructure fiber by the concept of wavelength conversion with a Ti：sapphire femtosecond（fs） laser as the pump.Experimental results show that an emission light around 1040 nm in an anomalous dispersion region is first generated and amplified by fs pulses in the normal dispersion region. Then, SC spectra from 1100 to 1380 nm and 630 to 840 nm can be achieved by combined effects of higher-order soliton fission and Raman soliton self-frequency shift in the anomalous dispersion region and self-phase modulation, dispersive wave, and four-wave mixing in the normal dispersion region. It is also demonstrated that the 20 nm change of pump results in a 280 nm broadband shift of soliton and the further red-shift of soliton is limited by OH-absorption at 1380 nm.

2.856 GHz microwave signal extraction from mode-locked Erfiber lasers with sub-100 femtosecond timing jitter

A balanced optical microwave phase detector(BOMPD) based on a 3 × 3 coupler is presented. This system was developed to extract ultra-low-jitter microwave signals from optical pulse trains emitted by mode-locked Er-fiber lasers, and synchronized microwave and laser systems. We demonstrate that the BOMPD achieves a precision of synchronization of less than 100 femtosecond of timing jitter. The experimental setup can be applied to the soft X-ray free-electron laser located on the campus of the Shanghai synchrotron radiation facility. A microwave signal with a 2.856 GHz frequency is extracted from a238 MHz mode-locked Er-laser, with an absolute timing jitter of 34 fs in the 10 Hz–10 MHz frequency offset range.In addition, the microwave and 238 MHz optical pulse signals are synchronized with a relative timing jitter of16 fs at the same frequency offset range.

Encrypted optical fiber tag based on encoded fiber Bragg grating array

Optical fibers are typically used in telecommunications services for data transmission,where the use of fiber tags is essential to distinguish between the different transmission fibers or channels and thus ensure the working functionality of the communication system.Traditional physical entity marking methods for fiber labeling are bulky,easily confused,and,most importantly,the label information can be accessed easily by all potential users.This work proposes an encrypted optical fiber tag based on an encoded fiber Bragg grating(FBG)array that is fabricated using a point-by-point femtosecond laser pulse chain inscription method.Gratings with different resonant wavelengths and reflectivities are realized by adjusting the grating period and the refractive index modulations.It is demonstrated that a binary data sequence carried by a fiber tag can be inscribed into the fiber core in the form of an FBG array,and the tag data can be encrypted through appropriate design of the spatial distributions of the FBGs with various reflection wavelengths and reflectivities.The proposed fiber tag technology can be used for applications in port identification,encrypted data storage,and transmission in fiber networks.

Self-starting all-fiber PM Er:laser mode locked by a biased nonlinear amplifying loop mirror

A compact all-fiber polarization-maintaining Er:laser using a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror is reported. Fundamental single-pulse mode-locking operation can always self start, with a cavity round-trip decreased from ~ 4.7 m to~ 1.7 m. When the pulse repetition rate is 121.0328 MHz, output pulse is measured to have a center wavelength/3-d B spectral bandwidth/radio frequency signal to noise ratio(SNR)/pulse width of 1571.65 nm/18.70 nm/80 d B/477 fs, respectively. Besides, three states including the exponential growth, damping state, and steady state are investigated through the build-up process both experimentally and numerically. Excellent stability of this compact Er:laser is further evaluated,demonstrating that it can be an easy-fabrication maintenance-free ultrafast candidate for the scientific area of this kind.

Femtosecond laser 3D printed micro objective lens for ultrathin fiber endoscope

The most important optical component in an optical fiber endoscope is its objective lens.To achieve a high imaging performance level,the development of an ultra-compact objective lens is thus the key to an ultra-thin optical fiber endoscope.In this work,we use femtosecond laser 3D printing to develop a series of micro objective lenses with different optical designs.The imaging resolution and field-of-view performances of these printed micro objective lenses are investigated via both simulations and experiments.For the first time,multiple micro objective lenses with different fields of view are printed on the end face of a single imaging optical fiber,thus realizing the perfect integration of an optical fiber and objective lenses.This work demonstrates the considerable potential of femtosecond laser 3D printing in the fabrication of micro-optical systems and provides a reliable solution for the development of an ultrathin fiber endoscope.

Femtosecond laser direct written fiber Bragg gratings with narrow bandwidth and high sideband suppression

Aiming for suppressing side-mode and spectrum broadening,a slit beam-shaping method and super-Gaussian apodization processing for femtosecond laser point-by-point(PbP)inscription technology of fiber Bragg gratings(FBGs)are reported here.High-quality FBGs,featuring narrow bandwidth of less than 0.3 nm,high reflectivity above 85%,low insertion loss(0.21 dB),and low cladding loss(0.82 dB),were obtained successfully.By a semi-automatic PbP inscription process,an array consisting of six FBGs,exhibiting almost no side-mode peaks with high suppression ability and narrow bandwidth,was fabricated along three independently developed single-mode fibers with an interval of 20 mm.

3μm波段Er^(3+)∶ZBLAN光纤激光器研究进展及展望

3µm激光处于分子指纹区,在医疗外科、气体检测、军事应用等领域都有重要的应用价值。Er^(3+)∶ZBLAN光纤激光器具有效率高、可集成的优点,是3µm激光的主要输出方式。本文从铒离子跃迁产生3µm激光出发,围绕Er^(3+)∶ZBLAN光纤激光器,介绍了3µm激光产生的结构原理及能级系统,总结了实现该波段高功率连续输出和脉冲输出的技术方案和研究进展,重点介绍了基于不同材料可饱和吸收体的调Q和锁模激光器实验研究,并对目前实现3µm波段高功率输出需要解决的问题进行了分析,最后对Er^(3+)∶ZBLAN激光器的发展方向进行了展望。

Er^(3+)-Yb^(3+) Co-Doped Fiber Ring and Line Laser

Er3+-Yb3+ co-doped fiber of 2 m long is used as the laser gain medium. Two fiber lasers with different structures have been set up, one is the line cavity fiber laser with the dielectric mirror being replaced by an all-fiber reflecting mirror,the other is the ring cavity all-fiber laser. Both set-ups have achieved lasing operation at the wavelength of 1.53 μm. Pumped by the 1 064 nm light from all-solid-state Nd ∶YAG laser, the two fiber lasers at 1 530 nm are operational. Their output powers are 7.8 mW and 2 mW with 130 mW and 160 mW pump powers.

All-fiber Based Er^(3+)∶Yb^(3+) Co-doped Fiber Laser

An all-fiber based Er~ 3+ ∶Yb~ 3+ co-doped double clad fiber laser operating at 1550nm is demonstrated. By using 9m long Er~ 3+ ∶Yb~ 3+ co-doped fiber(EYDF) as the gain medium, and using a pair of fiber Bragg gratings as wavelength filters, the line-width of the output laser is as narrow as 0.2nm and the output power is more than 6mW. The fluorescent effect of the laser before its emission is also studied. And it is found that the Er~ 3+ ∶Yb~ 3+ co-doped double-clad fiber laser also exhibits a high gain for Yb~ 3+ transition near 1080nm.

Fiber Grating Ring Laser in All Optical Communication System

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Noise-like rectangular pulses in a mode-locked double-clad Er:Yb laser with a record pulse energy

Generation of noise-like rectangular pulse was investigated systematically in an Er–Yb co-doped fiber laser based on an intra-cavity coupler with different coupling ratios.When the coupling ratio was 5/95,stable mode-locked pulses could be obtained with the pulse packet duration tunable from 4.86 ns to 80 ns.The repetition frequency was 1.186 MHz with the output spectrum centered at 1.6μm.The average output power and single pulse energy reached a record 1.43 W and1.21μJ,respectively.Pulse characteristics under different coupling ratios(5/95,10/90,20/80,30/70,40/60)were also presented and discussed.

激光加热基座法制备Er∶YAP单晶光纤及性能表征

本文采用了激光加热基座(LHPG)法逆向生长技术,实现了多组分Er∶YAP晶体的快速制备。利用LHPG法开展了Er∶YAP单晶光纤的生长研究,通过解决单晶光纤生长过程中存在的色心、开裂、直径起伏等关键问题,制备出直径0.8 mm、长度65 mm的高品质Er∶YAP单晶光纤。对不同掺杂浓度Er∶YAP晶体的光谱性能进行表征分析,结果表明掺杂浓度5%(原子数分数)时,Er^(3+)间存在较强的能量传递过程,有利于实现高效率中红外激光输出。

High-power femtosecond laser generation from an all-fiber linearly polarized chirped pulse amplifier

An all-fiber high-power linearly polarized chirped pulse amplification(CPA)system is experimentally demonstrated.Through stretching the pulse duration to a full width of approximately 2 ns with two cascaded chirped fiber Bragg gratings(CFBGs),a maximum average output power of 612 W is achieved from a high-gain Yb-doped fiber that has a core diameter of 20μm with a slope efficiency of approximately 68%at the repetition rate of 80 MHz.At the maximum output power,the polarization degree is 92.5%and the M^(2)factor of the output beam quality is approximately 1.29;the slight performance degradations are attributed to the thermal effects in the main amplifier.By optimizing the B-integral of the amplifier and finely adjusting the higher-order dispersion of one of the CFBGs,the pulse width is compressed to 863 fs at the highest power with a compression efficiency of 72%,corresponding to a maximum compressed average power of 440.6 W,single pulse energy of 5.5μJ and peak power of about 4.67 MW.To the best of our knowledge,this is the highest average power of a femtosecond laser directly generated from an all-fiber linearly polarized CPA system.

High-power mid-infrared femtosecond master oscillator power amplifier Er:ZBLAN fiber laser system

High-power femtosecond mid-infrared(MIR)lasers are of vast importance to both fundamental research and applications.We report a high-power femtosecond master oscillator power amplifier laser system consisting of a singlemode Er:ZBLAN fiber mode-locked oscillator and pre-amplifier followed by a large-mode-area Er:ZBLAN fiber main amplifier.The main amplifier is actively cooled and bidirectionally pumped at 976 nm,generating a slope efficiency of 26.9%.Pulses of 8.12 W,148 fs at 2.8μm with a repetition rate of 69.65 MHz are achieved.To the best of our knowledge,this is the highest average power ever achieved from a femtosecond MIR laser source.Such a compact ultrafast laser system is promising for a wide range of applications,such as medical surgery and material processing.

Nonlinear chirped pulse amplification for a 100-W-class GHz femtosecond all-fiber laser system at 1.5μm

In this work,we present a high-power,high-repetition-rate,all-fiber femtosecond laser system operating at 1.5μm.This all-fiber laser system can deliver femtosecond pulses at a fundamental repetition rate of 10.6 GHz with an average output power of 106.4 W–the highest average power reported so far from an all-fiber femtosecond laser at 1.5μm,to the best of our knowledge.By utilizing the soliton-effect-based pulse compression effect with optimized pre-chirping dispersion,the amplified pulses are compressed to 239 fs in an all-fiber configuration.Empowered by such a high-power ultrafast fiber laser system,we further explore the nonlinear interaction among transverse modes LP01,LP11 and LP21 that are expected to potentially exist in fiber laser systems using large-mode-area fibers.The intermodal modulational instability is theoretically investigated and subsequently identified in our experiments.Such a high-power all-fiber ultrafast laser without bulky free-space optics is anticipated to be a promising laser source for applications that specifically require compact and robust operation.