This program will study and demonstrate novel air guiding fibers to address critical optical power handling limitations of current optical fibers. The innovative antiresonant hollow core fiber designs proposed here, have the potential for high power light transport over long fiber lengths with orders of magnitude higher damage and nonlinear thresholds compared to solid core fibers. In particular, the fibers aimed in this SBIR program are projected to deliver single mode narrow linewidth CW power in the 10 kW-100 kW range over a distance >60 feet without detrimental SBS and other nonlinear effects. Fibers with this level of performance fulfill an important need as an enabling technology for HEL laser systems. However, this SBIR will also foster the development and commercialization of advanced hollow core fibers by a US company - an area where the US is currently not active, and so far we have relied on foreign vendors.
Benefit: The specific product that we aim to develop at the completion of the SBIR program will be a prototype AR-HC fiber for the delivery of single mode multi-kW laser power over distance exceeding 60 feet. Fibers with this level of performance will advance DoD manned and unmanned HEL platforms. However, the foreseen high power delivery AR-HC fibers, are expected to find both defense and commercial applications. The innovations developed under this will find a multitude of uses beyond the very specific application need of this particular SBIR topic. Industries including telecommunications, oil/gas exploration, and biomedical devices can be beneficiaries the HC fiber technology developed during this project.
Keywords: HEL delivery, HEL delivery, anti-resonant fiber, Air-core fiber, SBS mitigation, nonlinear impairments
