Fabrication of ultrafast laser written low-loss waveguides in flexible As2S3 chalcogenide glass tape.

As2S3 glass has a unique combination of optical properties, such as wide transparency in the infrared region and a high nonlinear coefficient. Recently, intense research has been conducted to improve photonic devices using thin materials. In this Letter, highly uniform rectangular single-index and 2 dB/m loss step-index optical tapes have been drawn by the crucible technique. Low-loss (<0.15 dB/cm) single-mode waveguides in chalcogenide glass tapes have been fabricated using femtosecond laser writing. Optical backscatter reflectometry has been used to study the origin of the optical losses. A detailed study of the laser writing process in thin glass is also presented to facilitate a repeatable waveguide inscription recipe.

Laser-induced cooling of a Yb:YAG crystal in air at atmospheric pressure.

We report for the first time the experimental demonstration of optical cooling of a bulk crystal at atmospheric pressure. The use of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor to measure laser-induced cooling in real time is also demonstrated for the first time. A temperature drop of 8.8 K from the chamber temperature was observed in a Yb:YAG crystal in air when pumped with 4.2 W at 1029 nm. A background absorption of 2.9 × 10⁻4 cm⁻¹ was estimated with a pump wavelength at 1550 nm. Simulations predict further cooling if the pump power is optimized for the sample's dimensions.