Investigation into optical fiber waveguides, lasers and applications

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Fiber lasers are established as robust and reliable devices. Compared to rival technologies, they are compact and cost-effective, with unique characteristics such as all-fiber design and no need for re-alignment. Tunable, high-power fiber lasers in the mid-infrared and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum are well-suited for applications in sensing (detecting a chemical at the molecular level), spectroscopy, medicine, and instrumentation in the fields of biomedical research and environmental monitoring. The proposed research program will develop a suite of high-power, tunable lasers in the mid-infrared and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The tunable feature of the laser will let the user choose a specific wavelength, attractive especially in spectroscopy, medicine and sensing where excitation wavelength is very important. The mid-infrared lasers will be developed using (i) the stimulated Raman scattering process in a specially designed optical fiber with a high Raman gain coefficient (e.g., Chalcogenide glass fiber), and (ii) a gas cell based on hollow-core fiber filled with small amounts of gas as a gain medium. The small core diameter of the hollow-core fiber makes it possible to use only a small amount of gas in the gas cell, as compared to conventional gas lasers. The gas-cell-based laser will provide higher output power than existing lasers and be very compact and cost effective. The proposed program will also develop a highly sensitive sensor to detect trace chemicals, such as proteins in the body caused by the human papillomavirus, which is responsible for cervical cancer. This sensor, based on the surface enhanced Raman scattering process, will use a tunable, near-infrared fiber laser and tapered fiber coated with gold nanorods. The device will be very sensitivecapable of detecting a single moleculecompared to those available on the market. This research program, to develop lasers with specific combinations of features, including gas-filled hollow core fiber, and tunability, as well as the highly sensitive sensor, will create a unique research facility at Lakehead University and in Canada. The demand in Canada for workers with skills in areas such as optics and photonics exceeds the supply. Students in this research program will be trained in nanotechnology, chemistry, and biophotonics as well as physics, electronics, and spectroscopy. They will work with industrial, academic, and government partners to develop world-class sensing devices and lasers, fitting these students to contribute in a variety of settings and increasing Canada's human resource capacity in areas of highly technical research. Further, Canada's scientific and biomedical industries will benefit from this research, because the technology and methodology to develop mid-IR lasers and sensor will be competitive internationally.