Abstract: 

This Colloquium will overview the glass science of optical fibers and fiber-based amplifiers of interest for scaling to high output power levels. A particular focus will be on all-glass routes to internal thermal management and intrinsically low nonlinearities that may permit marked reductions in laser system size, weight, and power-consumption. Specific topics to be discussed will include low quantum defect core compositions, anti-Stokes fluorescence cooling in silica, and the numerous considerations that must be considered during the processing and fabrication of the preforms and fibers to permit the realization of these phenomena.

Brief Bio: John Ballato is a professor of materials science and engineering at Clemson University where he also holds the Sirrine Endowed Chair of Optical Fiber. The author of over 600 technical articles, Ballato’s work has historically focused on light-matter interactions, with a particular focus on novel optical fibers. A Fellow of the AAAS, APS, IEEE, Optica, SPIE and ACerS, he has also received the William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award from the IEEE Photonics Society and the George W. Morey Award from the American Ceramic Society.

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**Refreshments will be served in the Olin lobby beginning at 3:30pm.