Supervisor: Professor Andy Clarkson, Professor of Optoelectronics, email address - wac@orc.soton.ac.uk
Duration: Typically 3.5 years, full-time
Funding: Full tuition plus, for UK students, an enhanced stipend of up to £21,000 tax-free per annum for up to three and a half years, which includes an additional industrial bursary. UK applicants are supported by an EPSRC CASE Studentship.
What it’s like to do a PhD at the ORC
Scaling laser power in the visible band remains as one of the most significant challenges facing laser scientists, motivated by the needs of a growing number of applications in areas such laser processing of materials, medicine, sensing and defence.
Traditional methods for accessing this wavelength regime are not compatible with operation at high power levels and so a different approach is needed.
This project will investigate a new strategy for generating kilowatt-class laser power in the visible band by combining the power-scaling advantages of cladding-pumped fibre lasers in the near-infrared band with novel nonlinear frequency conversion schemes. The approach offers the prospect of unprecedented wavelength coverage across the entire visible wavelength band at very high power levels and with high overall efficiency.
The project will involve a detailed study into the physics of frequency-converted fibre lasers operated at very high power levels to establish a power scaling strategy and to determine the fundamental limits. The overall ambition of the project will be a new generation of visible lasers boasting levels of performance well beyond the current state-of-the-art for use in industrial laser processing.
The project will involve close collaboration with one of the world’s leading, UK-based manufacturers of high power fibre lasers for industrial manufacturing.
Please send your CV to PhD Supervisor, Professor Andy Clarkson at wac@orc.soton.ac.uk. Professor Clarkson will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Entry requirements: First or upper second-class degree or equivalent
Closing date: Applications should be received no later than 15th January 2021 for standard admissions, but later applications may be considered depending on the funds remaining in place.
Start date: TBA