Dynamic Adaptive Pumping of Liquid Crystal Lasers: Low Cost Tuneable Lasers for Biomedical Imaging, Security and Telecommunications

该项目的主题是“液晶激光器的动态自适应泵浦”，目的是研究其在生物医学成像、电信和安全领域用作低成本可调谐激光器的能力。由于液晶的固有特性，液晶激光器可以对外界刺激做出反应，并且很容易调谐。根据所选择的有机染料，输出波长可以在450-850 nm范围内调节。低成本、大规模生产的可能性、微尺度尺寸和宽波长可调范围的结合，使LC激光器能够在这些行业中取代更昂贵的激光系统。本项目将探索重复率的限制，以及由此可实现的LC激光器的最高平均功率，以确定其商业可行性。将探索几种改进系统上述方面的方法，包括在旋转圆盘方法中加入直线运动，以及使用微电子机械(MEMS)反射镜来控制泵浦光束。

The topic of the project is "Dynamic Adaptive Pumping of Liquid Crystal (LC) Lasers" with the aim to research their capabilities to be used as low-cost tuneable lasers in biomedical imaging, telecommunications, and security. Due to the intrinsic characteristics of liquid crystals, LC lasers react to external stimuli and are easily tuneable. The wavelength of the output can be tuned in the range 450-850 nm depending on the chosen organic dye. The combination of the low cost, the possibility for mass manufacture, microscale size, and broad wavelength tuneability range could enable LC lasers to replace more expensive laser systems in these industries. This project will explore the limitations of repetition rate and consequently the highest achievable average power of LC lasers, to determine their commercial viability. Several approaches to improve aforementioned aspects of the system will be explored, including incorporation of linear motion to the spinning disk approach, and use of micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) mirrors for steering the pump beam.