Fibre laser based mid infrared sources and their applications

About the Project

Supervisory Team: Dr. Lin Xu and Prof. Sumeet Mahajan

This project focuses on developing high-power, short-pulse fibre lasers at near-infrared wavelengths and converting them to the mid-infrared using advanced nonlinear optics. It aims to create tunable and broadband laser sources with high spectral brightness, pushing the frontiers of mid-IR laser technology for scientific, industrial, and biomedical applications.

The mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range (2–20 µm) contains strong vibrational signatures of many key molecules and overlaps with atmospheric transmission windows, making it vital for applications in spectroscopy, sensing, materials processing, environmental monitoring, and biomedical imaging. However, this region is difficult to access using conventional laser sources.

This PhD project will focus on developing high-power, short-pulse fibre lasers at near-IR wavelengths (1–2 µm) and converting their output into the mid-IR using nonlinear optical processes in engineered crystals and optical fibres.

You will explore both narrow-linewidth tunable sources for high-resolution, molecular-specific imaging, and broadband supercontinuum sources capable of capturing full absorption spectra without tuning.

Supported by the £1.6M EPSRC Prosperity Partnership (EP/V038036/1) and a £5.5M EPSRC Programme Grant (EP/T020997/1), this project aims to overcome key technical challenges in mid-IR generation, delivering world-leading femtosecond/picosecond pulsed laser sources and frequency conversion techniques.

The work will involve a combination of hands-on experimental development and numerical simulation. Applications will focus on advanced medical imaging and surgical technologies, with flexibility to tailor project directions to your interests. You’ll collaborate with industrial biophotonics researchers and optical engineers to gain valuable industrial experience alongside academic training.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic, multidisciplinary team and contribute to cutting-edge research in laser science and biomedical technology.