Controlling mode instability in a 500 W ytterbium-doped fiber laser

Abstract

In this paper mode instability in a 500 W ytterbium-doped fiber laser is experimentally examined by changing the pumping wavelength, spectral bandwidth of signal light, active fiber temperature and coiling radius. The magnitude of power transfer from the fundamental mode to the higher order mode due to mode instability is measured as a criterion for its incident. The experiments show that the coiling radius of the first few tens of centimeters of the active fiber plays a significant role in controlling mode instability, and shifting the pumping wavelength from 976 to 973 nm can mitigate mode instability.