POWER-AMPLIFIER FOR 1083 NM USING YTTERBIUM DOPED FIBER

We have demonstrated a power amplifier for a single-frequency signal a t 1083 nm as required in spectroscopic applications. It is based on a ytterbium doped silica fibre which was pumped by a MOPA semiconductor laser at 978 nm. In a preliminary experiment we achieved 14 dB gain an d 60 mW of amplified signal. We discuss the design considerations, the possibility of significant improvements of output power and gain, and the relevance of the amplifier for high resolution spectroscopy.