The High Power Fibre Laser group, is one of several groupings with a research interest in high-power fibre lasers and amplifiers at the Optoelectronics Research Centre.
Our research is focused on higher powers, new wavelengths, and new fibre designs for pulsed and cw applications in areas such as telecom, displays, and materials processing. We employ cladding-pumping to reach high powers and use fibre Raman devices and crystals for wavelength conversion.
Projects:
Supervisor: Johan Nilsson
Light beams with orbital angular momentum (also known as vortex modes) are considered by some as the latest and greatest in the field of fibre amplifiers. We are now investigating these in the new regime of coherent combination of femtosecond pulses, which relies on phased arrays of fibre amplifiers. This requires precise control of the optical phase, which is very difficult to achieve in the high-power regime, where thermal nonlinearities conspire with the optical Kerr effect to uncontrollably distort the phase. Vortex modes are expected to be less affected by thermal nonlinearities and therefore also less affected by uncontrolled phase distortions. There is now an opening for a PhD student in this area, in a collaboration with IIT Madras in Chennai in India as the primary partner and Boston University as a minor partner funded by the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
The research can focus on experimental work or modelling and simulations, to suit the profile of the student. Visits to IIT Madras will be planned in order to strengthen the research collaboration. Beyond the immediate research project, you will have excellent opportunities to participate in many exciting activities in ORC’s open and rich research environment and work with world leaders and pioneers in the field of fibre lasers and vortex modes.
Partial student funding is available and can be used to top up or complement funding from other source
Supervisor: Johan Nilsson
The ever-increasing power levels of fibre sources is bringing out an increasing number of physical effects, including optical nonlinearities, multimode effects, dynamic gratings, and thermal effects. These effects call for increasingly sophisticated modelling and fibre designs to enable further progress. The purpose of this project is to combine new and improved computers and algorithms to address the need for new fibre designs. The project is suitable for students with a strong interest in learning about the physics and modelling of high-power fibre lasers and numerical optimisation.
This effort is connected to experimental work in several projects on high-power fibre lasers. The research will be closely linked to that work and the student is encouraged to take part in, and pursue, experiments. One of the projects is a collaboration with CREOL at the University of Central Florida. Opportunities exist for visits to CREOL within that project, and there are also possibilities to top up the studentship of a suitably qualified candidate.
Supervisor: Johan Nilsson
The recent decade has seen a phenomenal growth in the capabilities of fibre lasers. Sensors (e.g., lidar) is one of the most demanding application areas, because of frequent requirements on pulse energy, wavelength, beam quality, linewidth, and advanced modulation formats. The requirements are difficult to meet, and the subject of continuous research. There is now an opening in this area, based on a new collaboration with Northrop Grumman. The remit of this PhD project is quite open and the details can be adjusted to the profile of the student, but is likely to involve research on stimulated Brillouin scattering and high-concentration erbium-doped fibres. You will work in ORC’s renowned high-power fibre laser group (www.orc.soton.ac.uk/hpfl.html), in top-class laboratories and with unsurpassed access to tailor-made fibres from ORC’s fabrication facilities. You will be integrated fully into the group, and conduct research both independently and in collaboration with other group members and the team. There may also be opportunities for visits to Northrop Grumman in the UK as well as in America. Beyond the immediate research project, you will have excellent opportunities to participate in many exciting activities in ORC’s open and rich research environment and work with world leaders and pioneers in the field of fibre lasers.
Candidates for this position should have an interest in experimental laser work, fibre design, and fibre fabrication. The research is likely to focus on experimental work, but can focus on modelling and simulations to better fit the interests of the student.
The successful candidate will receive a top-up by up to £8k per year.
Supervisor: Johan Nilsson
Diamond Raman lasers and fibre lasers is a match made in heaven, and the topic of a new three-year collaborative effort between University of Southampton, University of Strathclyde, SPI Lasers, and Thales. The project is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and has a combined budget of £1.7 million. The research in the PhD project focuses on fibre lasers with unique properties at 1 and 2 μm in the cw as well as pulsed regime, and their integration with diamond Raman lasers. You will work in ORC’s renowned high-power fibre laser group (www.orc.soton.ac.uk/hpfl.html), in top-class laboratories and with unsurpassed access to tailor-made fibres from ORC’s fabrication facilities.
You will be integrated fully into the group, and conduct research both independently and in collaboration with other group members and the team. You may also spend some time at partners in Glasgow and Southampton, to integrate and validate the lasers in the partners’ test-beds. Beyond the immediate research project, you will have excellent opportunities to participate in many exciting activities in ORC’s open and rich research environment and work with world leaders in the exciting fields of fibre and diamond lasers. The research can focus on experiments, simulations / modelling, or both, to suit the profile of the student.