We present results of an experimental investigation of the optical losses produced by bending large core optical fibres, typical of those used in power beam delivery systems. Experiments have been conducted over a range of core diameters for both plastic clad silica and all silica fibres, as a function of bend radius. A theoretical model has been developed for predicting the magnitude of the bend loss, and agreement was obtained with the experimental results. The study thus yields design information for fibre beam delivery systems.
We present results of an experimental investigation of the optical losses produced by bending large core optical fibers, typical of those used in power beam delivery systems. Experiments have been conducted over a range of core diameters for both plastic clad silica and all-silica fibers as a function of bend radius. A theoretical model has been developed for predicting the magnitude of the bend loss, and agreement was obtained with the experimental results. The study thus yields design information for fiber beam delivery systems.
For large-core optical fibers of a few meters length, which are typical of those used in beam delivery systems for high-power Nd:YAG lasers, it is shown that the near-field profile of the output beam is a strong function of the launching conditions. The output profile depends on both the input spot size and its alignment relative to the fiber axis. A simple theoretical model is developed for step-index fiber that shows that the output profile depends on the distribution of guided power between meridional modes and groups of skew modes. A relationship is hence derived between the launching conditions and the output profile. The predictions of the theoretical model are consistent with experiment.
For graded-index optical fibers of a few meters in length and of large core diameter, which are typical of those used in beam-delivery systems for high-power Nd:YAG lasers, it is shown that the near-field profile of the output beam is a strong function of the launch conditions and laser-beam characteristics. The output profile depends on the input spot size and its alignment relative to the fiber axis as well as on the dependence of the beam divergence on the position within the input spot. A theoretical model has been developed to demonstrate how the output profile depends on the distribution of guided power between meridional modes and groups of skew modes, which are excited by a particular launch condition. The predictions of the theoretical model are consistent with the experiment.
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