Day: September 15, 2025

Fiber laser as a pulverizer of kidney stones

New fiber laser technology in lithotripsy

Dusting kidney stones with super-pulsed fiber lasers

A health organization in the USA tested a newly developed fiber laser capable of turning kidney stones into dust-like particles. This technology allows specialists to reduce even large kidney stones to tiny particles, which can then be suctioned or flushed from the patient’s body. The super-pulsed fiber laser targets the water within the stones, transforming a stone the size of a thumb into particles of 100 microns or less.

Rising need for effective kidney stone treatments

Statistics show that the number of Americans with kidney stones has doubled in recent years. More than 10% of the population has experienced a kidney stone at some point. This growing prevalence has driven scientists to seek more effective treatment techniques, including fiber laser systems.

Advantages of fiber lasers over traditional lasers

Thulium fiber laser vs. holmium laser

As fiber laser technology has advanced, it has been applied in lithotripsy to break up stones without the need for incisions. A specialist can use a fiber laser to precisely locate and fragment stones. Compared to traditional lasers, the thulium fiber laser can split kidney stones into particles 10 times smaller than those produced by a standard holmium laser. Smaller particles are easier to remove.

Improved clearance and patient outcomes

Research shows that a holmium laser clears about 50%–60% of stone fragments, while a thulium fiber laser can clear over 90%. Clinically, this technology has the potential to make procedures less painful and costly than surgical removal. With the fiber laser system, there are no incisions and minimal risk of complications such as bleeding or infection. Patients also do not require an overnight hospital stay.

Future developments and surgical innovations

Researchers are now developing a sensing device to prevent ureter injury during stone surgery. This device will be used with the thulium fiber laser. Combined, these technologies have demonstrated 94% clearance rates. Both innovations contribute to the evolution of surgery and improved quality of life for patients.

The development of the unique soliton fiber laser

Global importance of fiber laser technology

Fiber laser technology is an advanced field of modern science, with researchers from various countries actively developing new solutions. Last year, scientists in Russia demonstrated a newly developed and successfully tested soliton fiber laser.

Russian researchers highlighted that fiber lasers are fundamentally important for scientific progress worldwide. Fiber lasers with high pulse repetition rates are particularly in demand in photonics, a promising counterpart to electronics.

Unique features of the soliton fiber laser

Double pulse stabilization and compact design

The newly developed soliton fiber laser features double pulse stabilization, compactness, reliability, and convenient laser beam delivery. Its design relies on fiber optics, which allow part of the energy to be emitted into the laser cavity. Double synchronization aligns the phases of longitudinal waves, producing ultra-short, powerful pulses. After several radiation cycles, the pulses form stable solitons.

High-frequency pulses and pulse train quality

Due to double stabilization, scientists developed a fiber laser that combines high-frequency pulses with a high-quality pulse train. The design uses nonlinear polarization rotation and frequency shift effects generated by an optical modulator. This allows harmonic synchronization of longitudinal waves in any generation mode. The next goal is to further enhance the fiber laser’s performance.

Fiber laser history and applications

Development milestones

Since the creation of the first fiber laser, the technology has proven highly effective across multiple fields. For example, fiber lasers revolutionized ophthalmology just three years after their introduction. At each stage, challenges were addressed in medicine, industry, quantum computing, fundamental science, and more. Today, fiber laser systems have a wide range of applications.

New types of fiber lasers continuously open up unique and previously unforeseen applications. Advancements in fiber laser technology play a key role in scientific and applied research success.

Fiber laser technology in optimizing 3D printing

Importance of fiber laser technology in Industry 4.0

Science has always aimed to develop more efficient fiber laser technology for manufacturing. This technology is a crucial element of the new industrial revolution, Industry 4.0. One key aspect is ultrafast fiber lasers, which allow processes to be performed at high speeds. 3D printing is one field where ultrafast fiber lasers can be effectively applied.

German scientists are demonstrating how 3D-printed components can be welded with a fiber laser. Their goal is to create an expert system to optimize additive manufacturing processes. The printed units can subsequently be welded using a fiber laser.

Challenges in fiber laser transmission welding

Fiber laser transmission welding is already recognized as an industrial joining process for plastic components. However, 3D-printed components present a challenge due to cavities and boundary layers that prevent uniform weld creation. Components may appear identical externally but have different internal structures. Researchers aim to design a fiber laser system with unified process knowledge, eliminating the need for detailed analysis of each component for welding.

For fiber laser welding, researchers are studying fused deposition modeling, where thin strands of molten plastic are layered sequentially. The developing fiber laser system will provide data on the material, layer thickness, and other factors, ensuring maximum laser beam permeability.

Measuring transmission for process control

The research team is developing a method to measure transmission with spatial resolution, identifying points where the laser beam passes through and other critical factors. This information will be used to control the fiber laser welding process. The system can adjust fiber laser power: increasing it where transmission is low and decreasing it where transmission is high.

Welding different thermoplastics with fiber lasers

Fiber laser transmission welding can join units made from different thermoplastics. For example, a transparent and a non-transparent plastic component can be welded together. The laser passes through the transparent part and is absorbed by the non-transparent part, converting light into thermal energy. This melts the plastic in the joining area, forming a weld seam.

The newly developed fiber laser design simplifies the optimization of manufacturing processes for enterprises.

High power ultrafast lasers and thermal lensing

Applications and advantages of high-power ultrafast lasers

High-power ultrafast lasers have diverse applications due to their short pulse durations and high peak powers. Ultrafast lasers are used in materials processing, medical fiber lasers, microscopy, and more. These fiber lasers offer high power, but the technology is sensitive to effects like thermal lensing.

Thermal lensing in ultrafast lasers

Thermal lensing occurs in ultrafast laser gain media, especially at higher power levels. It significantly limits beam quality and output power. Thermal lensing reduces ultrafast laser performance and can disrupt mode-locking and pulse generation. In high-power systems, it can cause system failure and introduce astigmatism in the laser cavity. Ultrafast lasers operate in continuous-wave (CW) mode for cavity alignment, then switch to pulsed mode for use. Thermal lensing can interfere with this operation.

Methods to minimize thermal lensing

If pulsed beams are affected, ultrafast lasers become ineffective. However, several strategies can manipulate the thermal properties of gain media to prevent thermal lensing. One approach is using proper dispersive mirror coatings. Highly dispersive intracavity mirrors help minimize thermal lensing effects.

These advancements allow the production of high-power ultrafast lasers with intracavity optics that minimize thermal effects. The technology stabilizes beam quality and pulse compression while reducing harmful thermal effects.

Development of ultrafast mirrors

Highly dispersive ultrafast mirrors have been developed to maintain reflectivity and pulse compression while minimizing thermal effects, achieved through precise coating techniques. Some ultrafast laser systems do not need this technology, as thermal lensing is not significant in low-average-power lasers or systems without a solid-state cavity. However, high-power solid-state ultrafast lasers benefit greatly from thermal-lensing reduction.

Ultrafast lasers provide new biological capabilities

The first ultrafast laser was created in the 1970s. However, their development for various applications continues. This article highlights some recent advances related to ultrafast lasers.

Femtosecond lasers and biological applications

Interaction with living cells

The specific characteristics of femtosecond lasers allow scientists to interact with biological material by modifying cell functions individually. Ultrafast lasers produce short pulses that transfer energy to electrons before they interact with the environment. For instance, an electron can absorb energy from two photons before losing it while interacting with other electrons. This feature helps scientists manipulate living cells.

Microfabrication advantages

Ultrafast lasers reduce heat transfer, allowing material ablation without melting. As a result, scientists achieve a clean microfabrication process. By focusing the beam on an area a few microns wide, electrons can be excited with two low-energy photons. This occurs only under high intensity and localized interaction with the material.

Microstructures for biological studies

Scientists have developed ultrafast lasers that create microstructures for biological studies and can modify the behavior of living cells.

Ultrafast lasers in molecular imaging

High-speed X-ray imaging

A research team from China used ultrafast lasers to capture the first molecular films. They fired an intense beam of light at samples to take X-ray photos. Their developed cameras are one billion times faster, making it possible to record the fastest processes, such as chemical reactions.

Molecular movies and global optimization

This invention enables researchers to create the first molecular movies. The team plans to continue optimizing the new fiber laser system and make it accessible to global users.

State-of-the-art ultrafast laser systems

Fiber laser pulses and material analysis

This new fiber laser system, based on an ultrafast laser, represents state-of-the-art fiber laser technology. It produces pulses with identical photons and detects small structural changes in materials. Tests were conducted using the “water window,” a spectral range where photons are absorbed by carbon but not by oxygen. Water is more transparent to X-rays, while elements like carbon strongly interact with them. Coherent ultrafast pulses allowed scientists to capture X-ray images of molecules and atoms.

Implications for science and technology

Both technologies aim to uncover fundamental processes in materials, technology, and living organisms. They will also lead to new discoveries in fiber laser technology.