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Angular Scattering Pattern of Femtosecond Laser‐Induced Refractive Index Modifications in Optical Fibers
Author(s) -
Reupert Aaron,
Heck Maximilian,
Nolte Stefan,
Wondraczek Lothar
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced optical materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.89
H-Index - 91
ISSN - 2195-1071
DOI - 10.1002/adom.202000633
Subject(s) - scattering , optics , materials science , femtosecond , light scattering , refractive index , laser , multiangle light scattering , optoelectronics , physics
Focused femtosecond laser irradiation is used to induce light scattering modifications in the core of an optical fiber. This turns the fiber into a diffuse, line‐shaped light source. The scattering is investigated by imaging almost the full solid angle far‐field pattern for the first time. Additionally, an electromagnetic scattering model is developed to explain the observations. The findings herein change how the relationship between light scattering and the refractive index fluctuations is perceived by showing that the far‐field scattering pattern is the power spectral density of the polarization current inside the scattering center. Further, the authors contribute to a better estimation of the scattering process by showing that the total scattering power scales quadratically with the laser‐induced refractive index change and its volume.