title: TEM 00 mode content of a two stage single-frequency Yb-doped PCF MOPA with 246 W of output power.
abstract: Gravitational wave detectors require linearly polarized single-frequency laser sources with a high fractional TEM 00 mode content. We investigated the modal decomposition of a polarization maintaining photonic crystal fiber with a mode field diameter of 29 µm, operating in a single-frequency master-oscillator power-amplifier scheme, with respect to the TEM nm modes. Low degradation of the beam quality with increasing pump power could be observed, while a maximum power in the TEM 00 mode of 203 W was achieved.
authors.affiliation: Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V., Hollerithallee 8, D-30419 Hannover, Germany. m.karow@lzh.de
authors.forename: Malte
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karow
authors.forename: Chandrajit
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Basu
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kracht
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wessels
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006112:Gravitation; D007834:Lasers; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation*