Tm:fiber lasers for remote sensing

Tm:fiber lasers are an attractive choice for remote sensing of water under arid conditions, such as found on Mars. Renewed interest in Martian exploration and discovery of huge deposits of water at the Martian south pole fuel interest in a water vapor lidar. The potential for high efficiency and the robust and compact nature of fiber lasers are very attractive features. Laser diodes, suitable for pumping Tm:fiber lasers, operate around 0.8 μm. Tm:fiber lasers operate around 1.9 μm, in a strong water vapor absorption region. For the laser to be highly efficient, Tm:fiber lasers must operate with a quantum efficiency of two. That is, two laser photons are produced for one absorbed pump photon. The role the fiber material plays and the dynamics of the Tm self quenching process must be understood to optimize this device. Both the physics and experimental results will be presented.