Tag: fiber laser systems

Fiber lasers provide communication of small satellites

The fact is numerous difficulties have to be overcome in linking small satellites via fiber lasers, however, progress is remarkable. The idea of laser system communication is not new and dates back to the birth of fiber lasers. Nevertheless, the first inter-satellite link provided by the fiber laser system has been recently demonstrated between two low-Earth-orbit satellites.

It should be noted that the laser system requires less than 25 seconds on average to lock onto each other and begins transmission in both directions at 5.6 Gbit/s. The fiber technology has been tested: “the two spacecraft were in a line of sight from each other, an average of about 20 minutes during which the laser beam link between them turned about 80°.”

Herewith, NASA demonstrated the first fiber laser connection in deep space when its laser system device provided data transmission from the Moon at 622 Mbit/s. The laser technology offers a big improvement over data rates real with radio waves. The first commercial laser system inter-satellite link was performed in 2016 resulting in the transmission of high-priority image data collected by four satellites in low-Earth orbit at rates of 1.8 Gbit/s.

To be more precise, the high-speed fiber laser system in the low satellite allows tracking the geosynchronous satellite, that is why it can transmit images quickly, without the necessity to wait to pass over a ground station. Also, its high-speed fiber laser connection enables transmitting images to cloud servers on the ground. Herewith, a totally new vision has appeared for laser system link in space: applying fiber laser-connected satellites in low-Earth orbit to transmit broadband Internet and other services to places beyond the reach of fiber optic cables.

Hundreds or thousands of small satellites are orbited 300 and 2000 km above the ground, while at least one satellite should be always in the sky above any point being served. Moreover, these satellites would orbit around the Earth in several rings, located at various altitudes and positions to get rid of collisions. Thus, satellites would be located around each ring so fiber laser system connections would always have access to one or two adjacent satellites.

Finally, links provided by fiber lasers have crucial benefits over radio frequencies for inter-satellite links above the atmosphere, for instance, higher transmission bandwidth, smaller receivers, and tighter laser beams to enhance security. The main difficulty in the optical fiber band remains and includes the requirement to maintain fiber laser links between adjacent satellites as the whole constellation moves through space and the nearest neighbors of each satellite keep changing.

Optromix is a fast-growing fiber laser manufacturer and a vendor of optical fiber sensors and optical monitoring systems. The company offers fast turnkey solutions and creates sophisticated fiber laser systems for special purposes. Optromix uses only its technologies and develops a broad variety of fiber lasers. If you have any questions or would like to buy a laser system, please contact us at info@optromix.com

Fiber lasers stand guard over your eyes

A cataract is considered to be one of the most prevalent eye diseases. It should be noted that about one-third of all visual impairments are linked to cataracts. Despite the treatment methods are highly popular, most of them can be traumatizing at times apart from fiber laser technology.

Nowadays researchers continue working on the reduction of the side effects linked to cataract surgery. Therefore, new laser technology based on a fiber laser has been developed to activate the regeneration of adjacent tissue and also to get rid of the clouded-eye lens.

It is not new that the eye is regarded as the most vital organ. It enables seeing in the dark and in the light, trace fast objects and read the fine print. Nevertheless, problems with eyes lead to quick degradation of the eyesight or even its total disappearance.

The fiber laser technology promotes the treatment techniques for cataract and their increase. The treatment technique is based on surgery by laser systems that allow removing the clouded eye lens and replacing it with an artificial one made of plastic or sapphire due to high power laser beam.

Thus, the eye lens is crashed either with ultrasound or a fiber laser system. The operating principle of the fiber laser treatment is based on the application of the laser system where “a special tip is inserted into the anterior chamber of the eye close to the lens, and the laser beam breaks the lens into tiny fragments that are then removed from the eye. An artificial lens is then put in their place.”

Nevertheless, laser technology has some challenges that are the process damages the adjacent tissue, and the regeneration doesn’t always go well. In the past years, several research teams have been trying to reduce the traumatizing impact of cataract surgery, and the application of laser beam radiation to crash the cataract is considered to be promising.

It should be noted that the less powerful laser system not only lights up the surgical field but also triggers the regeneration of the impaired tissue. Therefore, new tests have been conducted in order to determine the best interaction way between the illuminating and the destroying fiber lasers.

Finally, the researchers claimed that the most efficient way is to apply both fiber laser systems concurrently. The fiber laser technology requires extensive work from optical engineers because it is impossible to penetrate the eye with two devices simultaneously due to the laser beam radiation.

The thing is that the simultaneous application of two laser systems is perfect because doctors obtain cells that are damaged however not crashed. The stimulation of their generation at once plays a crucial role. This is because the regeneration takes place in the most favorable conditions.

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Fiber laser of super-pulsed type offers several benefits

Researchers from the USA apply super pulsed fiber laser to treat stones, herewith, they also discovered several benefits compared with holmium laser system lithotripsy. Nevertheless, further research comparing the two is still required. The super pulsed fiber laser system is considered to be a new lithotripsy platform that differs from the holmium one used for the treatment of kidney stones.

To be more precise, compared to the holmium laser system that used 200-μm to 365-μm optical fibers, the super pulsed fiber laser enables the application of 150-μm core-sized optical fibers. The researchers demonstrate “a comparison of lithotripsy with 242-μm core-sized optical fiber holmium: YAG (AccuMax 200), to the 150-μm core-sized SPTF.”

The thulium fiber laser platform provides a benefit compared to the holmium: it has a compact size and can be plugged into a 120-volt outlet as a standard mobile phone. Another benefit of fiber laser technology includes the absence of noise. Herewith, the super pulsed laser system provides settings that the holmium does not, containing high-frequency settings up to 2400 Hz. Therefore, the fiber laser system allows dusting or fragmenting kidney stones.

The fiber laser technology provides high efficiency in stone treatment due to the high absorption of the laser beam energy by water. “The laser beam energy is emitted at a wavelength of 1,940 nm, which is at the tip of the curve for water absorption. For that reason, it is probably more effective than the holmium laser system.” Also, the small profile of the laser beam generated by the super pulsed fiber laser makes it possible to use smaller optical fibers—as low as 50 μm, based on bench testing while holmium laser systems use fibers greater than 200 μm.

Consequently, the application of smaller optical fibers ensures three other benefits. The first is smaller fibers provide a better flexion to direct the system inside the kidney easier. Additionally, smaller optical fibers have better irrigation during the procedure with a better visualization. The third benefit includes the delivery of laser beam energy in a smaller area of the stone, producing fragments that are smaller dust-type fragments. Thus, virtually all patients with kidney stones who can be treated with the fiber laser system would benefit from fiber laser technology.

Finally, the super pulsed fiber laser is planned to be applied for a retrograde technique in patients that have larger stones that cannot be exposed to the percutaneous approach for reasons such as other comorbidities because it has the potential to be faster in terms of breaking up the stones.

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