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Fiber Optics Software

RP Fiber Calculator – a convenient tool for calculations on optical fibers:

• Define index or doping profiles with the graphical user interface.
• Calculate the guided modes and all their properties.

• Calculate how much power of a laser beam is launched into the modes.
• Simulate light propagation within the fiber and coupling of light from one fiber to another.

The basic version of this software is offered for free!

RP Fiber Power – the versatile Fiber Optics Software

An Amazing Tool

This amazing tool is extremely helpful for the development of passive and active fiber devices.

Watch our quick video tour!

Single-mode and Multi­mode Fibers

Calculate mode properties such as

• amplitude distributions (near field and far field)
• effective mode area
• effective index
• group delay and chromatic dispersion

Also calculate fiber coupling efficiencies; simulate effects of bending, nonlinear self-focusing or gain guiding on beam propagation, higher-order soliton propagation, etc.

Arbitrary Index Profiles

A fiber's index profile may be more complicated than just a circle:

Here, we "printed" some letters, translated this into an index profile and initial optical field, propagated the light over some distance and plotted the output field – all automated with a little script code.

Fiber Couplers, Double-clad Fibers, Multicore Fibers, …

Simulate pump absorption in double-clad fibers, study beam propagation in fiber couplers, light propagation in tapered fibers, analyze the impact of bending, cross-saturation effects in amplifiers, leaky modes, etc.

Fiber Amplifiers

For example, calculate

• gain and saturation characteristics (for continuous or pulsed operation)
• energy transfers in erbium-ytterbium-doped amplifier fibers
• influence of quenching effects, amplified spontaneous emission etc.

in single amplifier stages or in multi-stage amplifier systems, with double-clad fibers, etc.

Fiber-optic Telecom Systems

For example,

• analyze dispersive and nonlinear signal distortions
• investigate the impact of amplifier noise
• optimize nonlinear management and the placement of amplifiers

Find out in detail what is going on in such a system!

Fiber Lasers

For example, analyze and optimize the

• power conversion efficiency
• wavelength tuning range
• Q switching dynamics
• femtosecond pulse generation with mode locking

for lasers based on double-clad fiber, with linear or ring resonator, etc.

Ultrafast Fiber Lasers and Amplifiers

For example, study

• pulse formation mechanisms
• impact of nonlinearities and chromatic dispersion
• parabolic pulse amplification
• feedback sensitivity
• supercontinuum generation

Apply any sequence of elements to your pulses!

… and even Bulk Devices

For example, study

• Q switching dynamics
• mode-locking behavior
• impact of nonlinearities and chromatic dispersion
• influence of a saturable absorber
• chirped-pulse amplification
• regenerative amplification

RP Fiber Power is an extremely versatile tool!

Mode Solver

For example, calculate

• amplitude and intensity profiles
• effective mode areas
• cut-off wavelengths
• propagation constants
• group velocities
• chromatic dispersion

All this is calculated with high efficiency!

Beam Propagation

Propagate optical field with arbitrary wavefronts through fibers. These may be asymmetric, bent, tapered, exhibit random disturbances, etc.

See our demo video for numerical beam propagation.

Laser-active Ions

Work with the standard gain model, or define your own level scheme!

Can include different ions, energy transfers, upconversion and quenching effects, complicated pumping schemes, etc.

Multiple Pump and Signal Waves, ASE

Define multiple pump and signal waves and many ASE channels – each one with its own transverse intensity profile, loss coefficient etc.

The power calculations are highly efficient and reliable.

Simple Use and High Flexibility Combined

For simpler tasks, use convenient forms:

Script code is automatically generated and can then be modified by the user. A powerful script language gives you an unparalleled flexibility!

High-quality Documentation and Competent Support

The carefully prepared comprehensive documentation includes a PDF manual and an interactive online help system.

Competent technical support is provided: the developer himself will help you and make sure that any problem is solved!

Our support is like included technical consulting.

Boost your competence, efficiency and creativity!

• Stop fishing in the dark! Develop a clear quantitative understanding of your devices.
• Explore the effects of possible design changes on your desk.
• That way, get most efficient in the lab.
• Find optimized solutions efficiently, minimizing time to market.
• Get new ideas by playing with your models.

Efficiency and success of
R & D are not a matter of chance.

Evolution of the spectrum of an ultrashort pulse in a fiber. The spectrum becomes very wide at the right end; this is called supercontinuum generation.

This diagram has been made with the RP Fiber Power software.

Pulse energy from a regenerative amplifier, when the number of resonator round-trips per amplification cycle is varied. Such instabilities (involving several bifurcations) can be well studied with a numerical model.

This diagram has been made with the RP Fiber Power software.

Intensity distribution in a fiber at megawatt power levels. The Kerr nonlinearity destabilizes the initially launched LP₁₁ mode.

This diagram has been made with the RP Fiber Power software.

Intensity evolution of the LP₁₁ mode in a tapered fiber. In the tapered region, most of the light is lost into the fiber cladding

This diagram has been made with the RP Fiber Power software.

Evolution of output power and gain when an Yb-doped fiber laser is switched on. One can see the relaxation oscillations, with convergence towards the steady state. Each red or gray segment corresponds to 0.2 μs.

This diagram has been made with the RP Fiber Power software.

Evolution of the intensity pattern of pump light in a double-clad fiber. After some distance, the pump absorption in the fiber core leads to a "hole" in the pump light pattern.

This diagram has been made with the RP Fiber Power software.

Resonator Design Software

RP Resonator – an extremely flexible resonator design software:

• script-based definition of resonator structures: arbitrary parametrization
• calculate all mode properties of interest
• analyze alignment sensitivities
• automatic optimization with user-defined figure of merit
• generation of arbitrary plots

Further features:

• comprehensive documentation (PDF and online)
• competent technical support

Use RP Resonator to drive your resonator design capabilities to perfection!

Thin-film Optics Software

RP Coating is a most versatile software for thin-film design. Analyze and optimize a wide range of devices:

• dielectric mirrors, including dichroic and dispersive mirrors
• AR coatings
• filters (including rugate filters)
• thin-film polarizers
• VECSELs

Further features:

• extreme flexibility due to scripting: arbitrary parametrization e.g. of chirped layer structures, definition of arbitrary figure of merits for numerical optimization, generation of arbitrary plots
• comprehensive documentation (PDF and online)
• competent technical support

Use RP Coating to quickly become a thin-film expert!

Color-coded reflectivity of a Bragg mirror as a function of wavelength and angle of the incident beam.

This diagram has been made with the RP Coating software.

Color-coded field penetration in a Bragg mirror as a function of wavelength.

This diagram has been made with the RP Coating software.

Color-coded field penetration in an etalon structure as a function of wavelength.

This diagram has been made with the RP Coating software.

Evolution of the reflectivity spectrum of a Bragg mirror during fabrication.

This diagram has been made with the RP Coating software.

A femtosecond pulse hits a Gires--Tournois interferometer (GTI).

This diagram has been made with the RP Coating software.

Field penetration into a rugate filter.

This diagram has been made with the RP Coating software.

Numerical Pulse Propagation

RP ProPulse can simulate pulse propagation in many devices:

• in the resonators of actively or passively mode-locked lasers
• in synchronously pumped OPOs
• in optical fibers, e.g. for pulse compression or soliton studies

Further features:

• interactive pulse display
• great flexibility due to scripting
• comprehensive documentation
• competent technical support

Use RP ProPulse to acquire a full understanding of your devices!

Evolution of the spectrum of a third-order soliton pulse.

This diagram has been made with the RP ProPulse software.

Laser Design Services

The quality of a laser product is largely determined by its design and not just by the used parts.

Developing a good design requires a high technical competence and experience. Dr. Paschotta from RP Photonics offers can greatly help by

• analyzing and amending our design goals, and working out complete design specifications
• identifying the best suited technology (e.g. bulk or fiber laser)
• working out a solid design, often based on numerical modeling
• identifying possible problems early on, which allows for efficient solutions
• giving you further advice as needed when you test your prototypes

Note: with a trial-and-error approach you may waste a lot of time and resources. (Also consider time to market!) Therefore, competent help is the key for cost-efficient and lower-risk developments.

You may also involve us only if you got into trouble, but coming earlier is usually better.

Technical Writing

In the laser and photonics industry, there is a lot to write:

• A clearly written user manual belongs to every high-quality product.
• A research proposal (e.g., for an SBIR project) needs to be convincing in all respects.
• Venture capital firms need to be properly informed on the developed technology, its potentials and limitations, competing approaches, etc.

Get competent help!

You may try to write yourself, but keep in mind that involving a top expert such as Dr. Paschotta from RP Photonics can have many advantages:

• He is most experienced in writing, producing high-quality documents efficiently.
• He may bring in new perspectives and ideas.
• You save time which you can spend on other things.

Just contact RP Photonics to find out what we can do for you!

Evaluation of Technologies

In the laser and photonics industry, it is often essential to obtain competent evaluations of certain technologies:

• A CTO of a laser company needs to know whether some new technical idea is worthwhile pursuing. Maybe there are some hidden problems?
• A user of lasers is told about a great new laser architecture – but will it really serve her needs?
• Venture capital firms need to find out what the potentials and limitations of certain technologies are. We call that applying due diligence.

Get help!

Involving a top expert such as Dr. Paschotta into technology evaluations can have many advantages:

• He has a good overview on many technologies and their potentials and limitations.
• His analytic mind allows him to develop a balanced perspective, taking into account all relevant aspects.
• He is well trained in writing useful reports.
• He may bring in new perspectives and ideas.

Just contact RP Photonics to find out what we can do for you!

Independent Advice on Products

If you buy things like laser crystals, optical fibers or whole laser systems, many questions can arise:

• What length and doping level should I choose?
• What is the best suited material?
• How do these product specifications relate to my requirements?

Get help!

You need an expert

• who is technically very competent,
• who takes care to analyze your needs,
• who can identify possibly critical issues,
• and who gives you impartial advice, not influenced by possible commissions, for example.

This is one of the offers of RP Photonics. Such work costs something, but far less than what you can waste by buying the wrong things. Just contact us before making critical purchase decisions!

Buyer's Guide

On our website, you find not only the famous encyclopedia, but also the RP Photonics Buyer's Guide:

• Find suppliers for many hundreds of photonics products.
• Enjoy high-quality product information (checked listings) and the convenient user interface.
• Use high-quality technical information of the encyclopedia nearby.

Is it actually surprising that you find the best buyer's guide at the same place as the best photonics information source?

Trouble with Specifications

Specifications for lasers and other photonics products are essential for the process of buying such things. Nevertheless, many do not properly deal with them:

• Many product specifications by suppliers lack quality – they are incomplete, not sufficiently clear, etc.
• Buyers are often not aware of what they really need. For example, they forget essential requirements.

Various problems can arise:

• Due to a lack of clarity, tedious communications between supplier and buyer are required.
• Product specifications raise expectations which cannot be met.
• Conflicts can arise over such issues.

Our Photonics Spotlight article and our encyclopedia article on laser specifications give you important hints. In case of doubt, contact RP Photonics to get competent and impartial advice.

Business Disputes

Occasionally, serious disputes arise, e.g. when a company purchases a laser from some supplier. Conflicting views may occur concerning questions as:

• Is the beam quality consistent with the somewhat vague specifications?
• Is it normal that the laser pulses exhibit substantial timing jitter?
• Should it be considered as acceptable that the laser stays within specifications only if its alignment is optimized quite often by the user?

Mediation

Going to court is usually the last thing you want to do – but how else to resolve a conflict?

Mediation is a much more attractive approach. Only, you need to find a mediator

• who fully understands the technical matters, and
• who can be trusted to be impartial and fair.

Dr. Paschotta from RP Photonics offers such services. Your chance is to reach a fair resolution with far less time and money than at court.

See also our Spotlight article on this matter.

Staff Training

Up-to-date technical know-how is the key to success in photonics. RP Photonics offers high quality training courses at your location:

• Courses on basic, intermediate or advanced topics – tailored to your needs and already existing knowledge.
• Boost the competence of your whole team within a few days!
• Get your questions answered straight away.
• Stimulate new ideas and motivate the whole team.

Dr. Paschotta from RP Photonics

• is a top expert in laser technology, fiber optics and nonlinear optics, also highly respected and trustworthy partner,
• can explain complicated things in helpful ways, and
• addresses your needs.

Could there be a better investment for a high-tech company?

Advertising Your Products

Why register your company and products in the RP Photonics Buyer's Guide?

• It is the industry-leading photonics website – largely due to the famous RP Photonics Encyclopedia!
• Your target audience is here. Tens of thousands use it every month.
• Search engines also know that.

So your products must be visible here!

You have found the Best Place for Your Banner – Here!

Make your

• photonics product,
• company or organization,
• publication or event

well known with an extra-wide
skyscraper banner which will be displayed here (with a given probability per page view).

Short-term Software Licenses Available

Do you need simulation software (such as our RP Fiber Power) only during a short-term project?

Or do you want to test such software very thoroughly before fully committing to it?

RP Photonics is now offering a solution: software licenses which are valid for a limited time.

Our conditions are very fair:

• Pay only 5% of the amount for a permanent license for one month.
• When switching over to a permanent license directly thereafter, get the already paid money fully deducted!
• If you decide for that only later on, still get two thirds deducted.

We are confident that you will like our software and finally decide for permanent licenses.

Traffic on this Website

This website is enormously popular. The page views of the encyclopedia and the buyer's guide in the last 12 months:

Total: 3,219,014 page views within 12 months.

See also our detailed published data. They are no surprise in the light of the extraordinary Google ranking.

Obviously, it would be a good idea to advertise your photonics products on this site – with enhanced entries in the buyer's guide and with banners at this place here.

Debugging Is Now Fun!

The software products which are supporting our script language (e.g. RP Fiber Power and RP Coating) have now got a powerful debugger!

It works even within expressions, not only after each command!

The RP Photonics Software News keep you informed.

Learn About Photonics Marketing!

We have published a number of comprehensive articles where we explain how a wide range of tools for the marketing of photonics, optics and laser product works.

Start reading here:

Marketing of Photonics and Laser Technology Products – an Over­view

You will learn not only about the tools which we offer ourselves – the RP Photonics Buyer's Guide, special promotions and banners – but also about many others.

See also our glossary of photonics marketing.

Learning on Photography

Are you interested in photography? We have various encyclopedia articles on such topics, explaining physical foundations and technological aspects:

• photo cameras
• camera objectives
• imaging with a lens
• image sensors (basics of optical imaging)
• optical aberrations
• f-number
• vignetting

Articles on Imaging

A lot of new articles in the area of optical imaging have recently been added to the encyclopedia. For example:

• afocal optical systems
• conjugate planes
• diaphragms
• entrance and exit pupil
• f-number
• field lenses
• field of view
• field stops
• holography
• image planes
• image sensors
• imaging with a lens
• infrared cameras
• loupes
• magnification
• magnifying glasses
• microscope objectives
• microscopes
• ocular lenses
• optical aberrations
• photo cameras
• photographic objectives
• spherical aberrations
• vignetting

Articles on Lamps

We have various articles on lamps and related topics:

• gas discharge lamps
• arc lamps
• flash lamps
• metal vapor lamps
• metal halide lamps
• xenon lamps
• mercury vapor lamps
• sodium vapor lamps
• xenon lamps
• fluorescent lamps
• spectral lamps
• signal lamps
• incandescent lamps
• halogen lamps
• light-emitting diodes
• lamp power supplies
• color rendering index

Website Tours

You can explore our website with the following tours:

• The RP Photonics Encyclopedia
• The latest encyclopedia articles
• Using the Buyer's Guide
• Advertising in the Buyer's Guide

You will be lead through a couple of pages, obtaining explanations on every one.

Discount for Startups

We have introduced a special offer: there is now a startup discount of 25% for the advertising package in the RP Photonics Buyer's Guide.

We understand the challenge for technology startups and are happy to support them with our powerful resource and our marketing expertise.

Note that marketing is particularly vital for startups: get orders before financially running out of steam!

Corona Virus Crisis

It is interesting and instructive to realize certain analogies between the spread of an epidemic and elementary processes in lasers. In particular, one can learn about the power of exponential growth and the threshold behavior.

Read the article:
"Laser Physics Helps to Understand the Corona Virus Crisis"!

Comments are welcome – see the input form below the article.

Your Lab is Closed due to the Corona Virus Crisis?

Time to think how to best utilize your time!

Here is a suggestion:
Consider to start with physical modeling!

• Build models for your existing or planned lasers and amplifiers, resonators, etc.
• Utilize such models in order to improve your qualitative and quantitative understanding, solve problems, optimize device performance and develop new ideas.
• Power up your home office instead of wasting your time!
• When getting back to the lab, restart with fresh plans and full power.

offers powerful simulation & design software, e.g. for active and passive fiber devices, laser resonators and thin-film coatings!

Getting helpful support from RP also benefits your projects.

Now is the Time for Training!

When your lab is closed, how to best utilize your time? With training, of course.

Some suggestions:

• Use the RP Photonics website, reading encyclopedia articles, tutorials, Photonics Spotlight articles, etc. – all for free.
• Get a tailored training course delivered through the internet – with every participant connected from home!
• Start with physical modeling in order to fully understand your systems and devices, optimize performance, create new ideas…

offers tailored training courses and powerful simulation & design software, e.g. for active and passive fiber devices, laser resonators and thin-film coatings!

Special Discount for the Ad Package in the RP Photonics Buyer's Guide

Because of the challenges which the coronavirus crisis currently creates for many companies, we offer a special discount for advertisers:

• For new customers ordering our ad package: 25% discount on up to 6 months of the ad package.
• For existing ad package customers: For the next prolongation of the ad package, we will deduct 25% of the cost for 6 months – even if the crisis will be over by then.

Let us work together cooperatively in order to get through this crisis!

See also our article:

Recent Articles of the Photonics Spotlight:

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Recent Articles of the RP Photonics Software News:

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Photonics Marketing

The article

Photonics Marketing in Times of the Corona­virus Crisis

in our blog, the Photonics Spotlight, discusses specific questions raised in the Coronavirus crisis for the marketing of photonics products:

• What are the remaining marketing options?
• What criteria should one apply for checking the value of marketing proposals?
• How to make sure that advertising money is spent wisely?
• What are the possible consequences of budget cuts?

Finding good questions is often the essential step to a solution – here: for making your business resilent in times of crisis.

Recent Articles of the RP Photonics Marketing News:

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RP Photonics at LinkedIn

Follow our pages, depending on your interests:

• company page
• Dr. Paschotta
• Encyclopedia & Buyer's Guide
• Software

Laser Material Processing

The encyclopedia covers this topic well: with a long overview article on laser material processing and specialized articles on

• laser ablation
• laser cutting
• laser drilling
• laser welding
• laser cladding
• laser coating
• laser soldering
• laser marking
• laser machining
• laser micromachining
• laser hardening
• laser surface modification
• laser additive manufacturing
• laser 3D printing
• laser cleaning
• laser processing heads

Sponsors of the Encyclopedia

We thank our sponsors: