Optical waveguides for infrared laser sources

Summary form only given. The fast growing field of lasers in medicine with This talk will be concentrated on the results and state of the art of the work done by groups developing flexible waveguide medical laser beam applications. Material used to produce these waveguides consist of tubings made of Teflon, fused silica, a few types of metal and sapphire. Each of these materials carry with them their own degree of flexibility, internal reflecting, and refracting layers and also made of different materials and are produced by a number of procedures. With the introduction of mid-infrared free electron lasers (FELs) a tunable laser source became available for testing broadband transmission waveguides. This laser has a unique pulse structure, but its high peak powers can serve as an excellent testing tool for waveguides damage.