I approach optical fibres as a tool with uses across many fields of science and engineering. The main aim for the continued development of new optical fibres, including microstructured optical fibres, is to provide new and useful tools for end users. In this seminar I shall cover some of our recent developments, particularly in hollow optical fibres for high power laser beam delivery and for operation in the mid-infrared without using exotic glass materials. I shall also cover some applications of these fibres, including mid-infrared gas lasers.

 

William Wadsworth received the degree in Physics in 1993 and the D.Phil. degree in Laser Physics in 1997 from the University of Oxford, UK. He joined the University of Bath in 1999 where he designs, fabricates and studys Photonic Crystal Fibres (PCFs). These optical fibres contain a microstructure on the scale of the wavelength of light which allows unprecedented control of the propagation of light in the fibre. His particular interests are in using PCFs for new lasers and light sources, with applications from fundamental metrology and quantum information to imaging for medical and life sciences.He has authored and co-authored more than 150 international publications with H-index of 42. His important academic achievements include development of visible and infrared supercontinuum sources in optical fibres,collaborating on the commercial development of supercontinuum sources using microchip lasers or fibre lasers,development of all-fibre heralded single photon sources, in particular using compact Yb-fibre lasers,tapered and post-processed fibre devices for nonlinear optics and adiabatic mode conversion, development of the new antiresonant designs of hollow optical fibres,invention and application offibre gas lasers, etc.Further details can be found at http://www.bath.ac.uk/research/centres/cppm/people/academic-staff/william_wadsworth/