High-Power Laser Delivery in Hollow Core Fibres

Supervisor: Professor David Richardson
Co-supervisor Dr Hans Christian Mulvad and Dr Lin Xu

Project description

We are looking for enthusiastic applicants with a background in physics, material sciences or engineering to work on a project that seeks to demonstrate new record power levels for laser power delivery using hollow core fibres (HCFs). The work will be experimental in nature, but will also include some numerical modelling. There will be collaboration across several research groups, covering high-power laser characterisation facilities and HCF fabrication.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to explore related areas of research, such as optical non-linearities in gas-filled HCFs for wavelength translation.

You will become an integral part of an ambitious, co-operative, very well-funded Programme with the potential for major global impact. You will be working as part of the ORC’s world-leading research team and can expect professional support and mentoring, independence and the skills to move you onto a successful career.

Hollow core fibres are based on carefully designed glass microstructures which allows the guidance of light within a central air core, enabling the transmission of peak power levels far beyond the damage threshold of solid core silica glass fibres. At the same time, the process of coupling of light from high-power laser sources into the hollow-core fibre presents a number of significant challenges, which this project will attempt to solve. Both pulsed laser and continuous wave laser power delivery are within the scope of the work.
The project is supported with substantial funding from a £6m EPSRC-funded AirGuide Photonics programme grant, hosted at the world-renowned Optoelectronics Research Centre.

About the Optoelectronics Research Centre

The ORC has led the world in optical fibre technology research for the past 50 years. With over 90 state-of-the-art laboratories and 200 researchers working in all areas of photonics, the ORC provides an outstanding interdisciplinary environment for students to grow. Its cluster of 12 photonics spin-out companies provides a natural career path for PhD graduates.

The group has an excellent track record of publishing in high profile research journals and international conferences. Its former PhD and postdoctoral researchers have made successful careers in universities worldwide or as industry scientists and business leaders.

In the first year of your PhD a structured training programme runs alongside the research project, providing a gradual transition from taught degree to open-ended research. Students present their work at conferences worldwide, first-author papers in leading academic journals and emerge with skills at the forefront of glass and fibre optics research https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2_6yNQamkU.

Further ORC information: www.orc.soton.ac.uk

Further Airguide Photonics information: www.airguide.soton.ac.uk

To discuss any details of the project or arrange a visit, please contact Professor David Richardson ([Email Address Removed])

Entry Requirements
A very good undergraduate degree (at least a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent).

Closing date: applications are accepted throughout the year but start date is typically October 2020.

Funding: full tuition for EU/UK Students plus, for UK students, an enhanced stipend of £18,000 tax-free per annum for up to 3.5 years.

How To Apply:
Applications should be made online here selecting “Faculty of Engineering and Physical Science” under the Faculty and then “PhD ORC (Full time)” as the programme.

Applications should include:
Curriculum Vitae
Two reference letters
Degree Transcripts to date
Apply online: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/how-to-apply/postgraduate-applications.page

For further information please contact: [Email Address Removed]