regular single mode fiber as a lasing medium

[drlava]

Not sure about ASE, but the pump wavelength they used was 1-3W of 1455nm, and the output was 1557-67nm (loss of 0.2db per km) .

The reason this works better than the rainbow/cloud ideas is that the fiber is single mode, so it naturally prefers and in this case amplifies the 1550nm 'transparency window' wavelength of the fiber and emits coherent light without a resonator, where open space doesn't have the mode confinement to do that.

[shrad]

well, I'd better buy several feet of ZBLAN fiber than 50 feet of standard silica based fiber plus they can emit RGB in some circumstances (the lines compete though, as for a HeNe which couldn't go RGB as well )

[chriswcy]

May you suggest some suppliers of ZBLAN fibers? I am looking for non-doped single mode ZBLAN fibers with following spec.:

Cut-off Wavelength: <2.5um
Loss@1.5µm: <0.1dB/m
Core Diameter: 9±1µm

I want to use it to transmit mid-IR@2.5-3.3um (2.5-4.0um if available), around 10 feet is OK. And also how much is it?

well, I'd better buy several feet of ZBLAN fiber than 50 feet of standard silica based fiber plus they can emit RGB in some circumstances (the lines compete though, as for a HeNe which couldn't go RGB as well )

[shrad]

you might find some at http://www.lfslaser.com/fibers that's the only supplier I know which has low prices, but I don't know if they have ZBLAN

There was a seller on ebay who supplied ZBLAN fiber to the meter but I think he has sold either everything he has or the whole reels, as I can't find him anymore