title: Characteristics of a Q-switched multicore photonic crystal fiber laser with a very large mode field area.
abstract: We model and characterize the behavior of a Q-switched fiber laser. The fiber is a doped multicore photonic crystal fiber having six cores in a ring-type geometry. The fiber laser is Q-switched using an intracavity acousto-optic modulator. Using a mode filtering technique in the far field, a mode very close to the fundamental in-phase supermode is obtained with a mode field area of 4200 microm(2) and a divergence of 9 mrad. Pulses with energies of up to 2.2 mJ and durations of 26 ns (limited by end facet damage) at a repetition rate of 10 kHz are obtained.
authors.affiliation: QinetiQ, St. Andrews Road, Great Malvern, WR14 3PS, England.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Michaille
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Charlotte R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Terence J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Shepherd
authors.forename: Benjamin G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Ward