Abstract

In recent years the evolution of the average output power emitted by high-power fiber-lasers and amplifiers has reached a level at which the onset of thermal effects has been observed. The most detrimental of these effects is the phenomenon of transverse mode instabilities (TMI) [1]. These instabilities are characterized by a sudden onset of spatial and temporal fluctuations in a formerly stable beam once a certain average output power threshold has been reached [2]. TMI are currently the most limiting effect for the further average output power scaling of fiber-laser systems and amplifiers with nearly diffraction-limited beam quality. Therefore, the development of mitigation strategies for TMI is critical to further enhance the performance of this technology.

© 2017 IEEE