1.7 micron excited state absorption measurement in erbium-doped glasses

We have measured, for the first time, the complete 1.7µm excited state absorption spectrum in erbium doped glasses. The spectrum is obtained by measuring the gain of an erbium doped waveguide in the 1400-1800 nm region. Using the measured spectra, we estimate the 1.5µm uniform upconversion rate by calculating the spectral overlap between the 1.5µm emission and 1.7µm ESA cross sections. The technique is applied to erbium-doped, ion-exchangeable silicate glasses, yielding upconversion constants in the range of 1-10 x 10-18 cm3 /s

Ion-Exchanged Waveguide Amplifier in Erbium-Doped Glass for Broad-band Communications

We discuss the fabrication, characterisation and modelling of planar erbium-doped amplifiers realised as ion-exchanged waveguides in glass

The financial and GHG cost of avoiding ILUC in biomass sourcing - a comparison between switchgrass produced with and without ILUC in Ukraine

Avoiding ILUC is becoming important. An important option is the use of land that would otherwise not be used for food or feed production. This generally means that lower quality or marginal land will be used. Switchgrass is one of the main perennial biomass crops that can produce high biomass yields under low input conditions and which can be established at low cost by seeds. In Ukraine this crop has in recent years been tested, yielding information that can be used to assess the cost and GHG balance of growing the crop, pelletizing, transport to the Netherlands and conversion into electricity. Results show that GHG emissions on low quality soil without ILUC are higher than for good quality soil grown switchgrass with ILUC. Analysis of the costs of growing switchgrass on low productive soils are 22% higher compared to high quality soils. It is concluded that ILUC avoidance needs to be quantified and rewarded

Diode-pumped, ion-exchanged Er/Yb waveguide laser at 1.5µm in phosphorus-free silicate glass

We demonstrate the first diode-pumped, planar ErNb waveguide laser. The device was fabricated by thallium-exchange in a phosphorus-free silicate glass. Lasing was achieved with a low threshold of 15 mW, indicating the absence of the severe backtransfer effects previously reported in Er/Yb bulk laser silicate glasses

Anomalously high uniform upconversion in an erbium-doped waveguide amplifier

The performance of a planar Er3+-doped ion-exchanged waveguide is compared to a detailed model, including uniform upconversion estimated from spectral measurements. A discrepancy between experiment and theory requires a much higher level of uniform upconversion than predicted. We consider possible explanations for this anomaly

State-of-the-Art Meeting on Sex and Gender in Transplantation: The Female Perspective

Sex- and gender-based inequities in organ transplantation represent a critically relevant, yet under-appreciated aspect that impacts upon patient and graft outcomes. Biologic factors (sex), as well as psychological-, social-, and economic factors (gender) all contribute to these disparities. While such disparities are observed consistently worldwide, access to care and differences in allograft and patient outcomes by sex and gender differ between countries, emphasizing the necessity to engage the global community. Moreover, as in many other professional areas, gender disparities exist among professionals in transplantation science and medicine. To address the need for global recognition of the interplay between sex and gender in transplantation, and to define unmet needs, Anette Melk (Hannover Medical School), Bethany Foster (McGill University), Germaine Wong (University of Sydney), and Louise Lerminiaux (patient representative) initiated the international hybrid symposium “Sex and Gender in Transplantation: The Female Perspective”, which took place October 5th-7th 2022, in Hannover, Germany. The interdisciplinary symposium connected clinicians, researchers, and patients from around the globe. Instead of taking the traditional male perspective, efforts were made to ensure a female perspective and approach to both the content and organization of the symposium. The symposium had three aims. Firstly, we aimed to identify areas pertaining to sex and gender where more research is needed, with an emphasis on creating evidence to inform guidelines and policies. Second, we integrated patients’ perspectives and experience in the execution of patient-centred research. Finally, the symposium focused on achieving equity in access to careers in transplantation, defining metrics of success and strategies to accelerate progress in this area

Diode-pumped, planar lossless splitter at 1.5 microns for optical networks

We demonstrate the first planar lossless splitter at 1.5µm. The ion-exchanged waveguide circuit in Er/Yb codoped silicate glass achieved 1x2 lossless splitting at 1537nm with a 980 nm laser diode pump

Lossless integrated active splitters for optical networks

We discuss the latest results in the European Union RACE II project LIASON to specify and develop "lossless" splitters in integrated optics, combining an erbium-doped planar amplifier and a passive 1xN cascaded y-junction splitter

Ion-exchanged planar lossless splitter for analog CATV distribution systems at 1.5µm

We demonstrate for the first time an ion-exchanged, planar lossless splitter pumped at 980 nm in an analog CATV distribution system at 1.5 µm