Saturday 01 February 2025
Scientists have made a significant breakthrough in the development of high-powered fibre lasers, a crucial technology for industries such as manufacturing and medicine. A team at the University of Southampton has successfully created a quasi-continuous-wave thulium-doped fibre laser that can produce an astonishing 198 watts of instantaneous output power.
To put this into perspective, the average household light bulb uses around 60 watts of power. This means that the new fibre laser is capable of producing three times as much energy as a standard light bulb in just one second. The technology has the potential to revolutionize industries such as manufacturing and medicine, where high-powered lasers are used for tasks like cutting through metal or treating medical conditions.
The fibre laser was created by pumping it with 408 watts of power from two diode lasers at a wavelength of 0.79 micrometres. The team used a technique called quasi-continuous-wave pumping to generate the high-powered beam, which allowed them to simplify the thermal management of the device.
Thermal management is a major challenge when working with high-powered fibre lasers, as they can generate a significant amount of heat. However, by using the quasi-continuous-wave pumping technique, the team was able to distribute the heat more evenly throughout the device, making it easier to manage.
The fibre laser’s ability to produce high-powered beams in short pulses makes it an attractive technology for industries such as manufacturing and medicine. For example, high-powered lasers are commonly used in manufacturing to cut through metal and other materials quickly and accurately. In medicine, high-powered lasers are used to treat conditions such as cancer and eye diseases.
The team’s achievement is a significant step forward in the development of high-powered fibre lasers, and has the potential to open up new possibilities for industries that rely on these technologies.
Cite this article: “High-Powered Fibre Laser Breakthrough”, The Science Archive, 2025.
High-Powered Fibre Lasers, Thulium-Doped Fibre Laser, Quasi-Continuous-Wave Pumping, Instantaneous Output Power, Manufacturing, Medicine, Thermal Management, Diode Lasers, Wavelength, Micrometres
