The ultrashort pulses of light generated by fiber laser pointer have promoted major advances in the fields from biomedicine to micromachining. Compared with systems based on traditional semiconductors, the development of carbon nanotube materials for products can bring important advantages. Carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNT), have unique optical properties and can be optimized in a very wide spectrum range according to the size and shape of the material.
They are very promising in the application of nonlinear optics (NLO) devices, which are mainly used in fiber lasers and can generate ultrashort pulses in the infrared (IR) light range. The infrared range provides a window into the molecular structure used for environmental or biomedical sensing, which is also important for telecommunications. The TELASENS (Carbon Nanotube Technology in Pulsed Fiber Lasers for Telecommunications and Sensing) project initiated by scientists funded by the European Union is mainly to develop carbon nanomaterials for non-linear optical devices in pulsed fiber lasers.
It is worthy of special attention that when the material is used in saturable absorbers and nonlinear optical devices, it can promote the generation of ultra-short pulse cycles in green laser pointer resonators. The current progress of the research group is impressive. Combining computer modeling and physical and chemical experiments, the researchers deposited carbon nanotubes on optical fiber microchannels and optical mirrors, which promoted the development of new saturable absorption devices. Then it is integrated with various active media on a fiber laser to generate ultrashort pulses in the wide (IR) spectral range of 1000-2000 nm.
Researchers are quickly approaching the ultimate goal: a cost-effective fiber laser source. Final applications include personalized medicine, the manufacture and transportation of new sensors, and new fiber optic communication systems. At the same time, the TELASENS project has also cultivated a new generation of scientists in nonlinear optics and fiber laser technology, whose legacy influence far exceeds the project itself.