Final Activity Report Summary - MOGLAD (Femtosecond modifications in glasses with application to novel laser designs)
On the basis of a theoretical model of ultra-short pulse energy deposition into a glass sample due to non-linear absorption, and detailed analysis of the non-linear properties of optical glasses, a new approach was proposed by the Fellow to enhance the knowledge-based aspects of material processing by ultra-short pulses. This approach points the way to optimising the optical glass processing by femtosecond pulses using the spectral dependences of the non-linear coefficients of refraction and absorption. The obtained results give insight into the fundamental problem of ultra-short pulse interaction with matter. It was demonstrated for the first time that the process of laser pulse energy deposition into an optical glass strongly depends on the values of the non-linear coefficients, which can be tailored in practice by variation of the central wavelength of the pulse.
This fundamental knowledge was applied to identify the optimised regimes for energy deposition into a glass sample. Special attention was paid to identification of guiding structures that would have a known or novel functionality if written by femtosecond pulses. Two groups of devices were considered: waveguide lasers, as was planned, and also non-linear guiding structures for optical signal processing. In the materials part of the research, the work was mostly concentrated on chalcogenide glasses that have the greatest third-order non-linearity among all optical glasses. The obtained results create links between the advantages of the novel technology of material processing by femtosecond laser pulses and the demand for novel photonic structures, and identify the need for different optical wavelengths for processing and operation. These results demonstrate that the development of the novel technology needs additional research into the non-linear properties of a given material at various wavelengths.
The Fellow's work in the incoming host organisation was efficiently used to enhance the existing links between Western and Eastern institutions, as well as to develop new links with other Western institutions. After the Incoming phase of the Fellowship, the Fellow gained the additional knowledge necessary for successful multi-disciplinary research comprising chemistry, engineering and computational physics.
This fundamental knowledge was applied to identify the optimised regimes for energy deposition into a glass sample. Special attention was paid to identification of guiding structures that would have a known or novel functionality if written by femtosecond pulses. Two groups of devices were considered: waveguide lasers, as was planned, and also non-linear guiding structures for optical signal processing. In the materials part of the research, the work was mostly concentrated on chalcogenide glasses that have the greatest third-order non-linearity among all optical glasses. The obtained results create links between the advantages of the novel technology of material processing by femtosecond laser pulses and the demand for novel photonic structures, and identify the need for different optical wavelengths for processing and operation. These results demonstrate that the development of the novel technology needs additional research into the non-linear properties of a given material at various wavelengths.
The Fellow's work in the incoming host organisation was efficiently used to enhance the existing links between Western and Eastern institutions, as well as to develop new links with other Western institutions. After the Incoming phase of the Fellowship, the Fellow gained the additional knowledge necessary for successful multi-disciplinary research comprising chemistry, engineering and computational physics.