Self-Q-switching and mode-locking in an all-fiber Er/Yb co-doped fiber ring laser

Using a section of un-pumped Er/Yb co-doped fiber (EYDF) as a saturable absorber, Self-Q-switching and self-mode-locking pulses have been obtained in an all-fiber EYDF ring laser. Such laser is with the self-Q-switched pulse threshold of 135.22 mW, the repetition rate of approximately 22.2 kHz, and the pulse duration of ∼2.8 μs, respectively. The self-mode-locked threshold is 591.8 mW. By incorporating the saturable absorption in an un-pumped EYDF and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, when the pump power is increased to 1242.9 mW, the continuous-wave (CW) mode-locking with the pulse width of 26 ns has also been demonstrated experimentally for the first time.     

3D photon counting imaging at 1550 nm with 1.5-GHz sine-wave-gated InGaAs/InP GAPD

We demonstrated a 3D laser imaging system at 1550 nm with a 1.5-GHz sine-wave gated Geiger-mode InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiode (APD). An optical fiber bundle with 100 individual fiber outputs was implemented at the focal plane of the telescope, providing a 2.5-mrad imaging view. The system used single-pixel near-infrared single-photon detector to measure photons at fiber outputs instead of a photon counting array. The 1.5-GHz gated Geiger-mode InGaAs/InP APD with a timing jitter of 290 ps was operated in quasi-continuous mode with detection efficiency of ∼4.3%. We achieved higher than 6-cm surface-to-surface resolution at single-photon level, showing a potential of low-energy and eye-safe laser imaging system for long-distance measurements.     

High-energy saturable absorber mode-locked fiber laser system

We demonstrate a mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser with a 1-microm InGaAs saturable absorber that produces 84-ps, 1-nJ transform-limited pulses. Measurements of the InGaAs multiple quantum well revealed a slow saturable absorber that is useful for passive mode locking. Optical fiber was added to extend the cavity and vary the repetition rate from 51 kHz to 5.4 MHz. The narrow spectral width of the laser output (<0.04 nm) permits amplification to 0.2 microJ/pulse with minimal pulse broadening. Pulse energies as large as 1.7 microJ can be achieved with pulse widths of <330 ps. Average powers of 0.5 W at megahertz repetition rates are demonstrated.     

Medium power single-mode single-wavelength fiber laser

Medium-power, single-mode, single-wavelength fiber laser working at room temperature using a polarization-maintaining erbium-ytterbium co-doped fiber as the gain medium, and an un-pumped elliptical core erbium-doped fiber as a saturable absorber to reduce linewidth and mode hopping of the lasing wavelength is reported. The effects of length, erbium ion concentration, and polarization-maintaining property of the saturable absorber were explored. The output power of the laser was more than 100 mW and the lasing line was stable for more than 3 h with an intensity fluctuation of less than 0.2 dB. The laser linewidth (FWHM = Full width at half maximum) was 7.5 MHz and the signal to noise ratio was more than 50 dB. The output of the laser was measured using an optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) of resolution 1.25 GHz and a scanning Fabry-Perot spectrum analyzer (SFPSA) of resolution 6.7 MHz.     

Switchable single-longitudinal-mode dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber ring laser based on one polarization-maintaining fiber Bragg grating incorporating saturable absorber and feedback fiber loop

Switchable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber ring laser based on one polarization-maintaining fiber Bragg grating (PMFBG) is demonstrated. Due to the enhancement of the polarization hole burning (PHB) by the PMFBG, the laser can be designed to operate in stable dual-wavelength or wavelength-switching modes with a wavelength spacing of 0.336 nm at room temperature by adjusting a polarization controller (PC). The stable SLM operation is guaranteed by a compound-ring cavity and a saturable absorber (SA). The optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) is over 45 dB. The amplitude variation in nearly one and half an hour is less than 0.2 dB.     

Thermal effects investigation and cavity design in passively mode-locked Nd:YVO4 laser with a SESAM

A diode-pumped passively mode-locked Nd:YVO₄ laser with a five-mirror folded cavity is presented by using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). The temperature distribution and thermal lensing in laser medium are numerically analyzed to design a special cavity which can keep the power density on SESAM under its damage threshold. Both the Q-switched and continuous-wave mode-locked operation are experimentally realized. The maximum average output power of 8.94 W with a 9.3 ps pulse width at a repetition rate of 111 MHz is obtained under a pump power of 24 W, correspondingly the optical slope efficiency is 39.2%.     

Reflective carbon nanotube as the saturable absorber for mode-locked 1064 nm laser

With a reflective single-walled carbon nanotube as the saturable absorber, a laser diode-pumped passively mode-locked Nd:YVO₄ laser at 1064 nm was realized for the first time. The pulse duration of 12 ps was produced with a repetition rate of 83.7 MHz. The peak power and the single pulse energy of the mode-locking laser were 1.28 kW and 15.4 nJ, respectively.     

Simultaneous dual-wavelength Q-switched Nd:YAG laser operating at 1.06 μm and 946 nm

Considering the reabsorption loss of the quasi-three level system and the unsaturable loss of the saturable absorber, we obtained the operating condition of a diode-pumped simultaneous dual-wavelength Q-switched Nd:YAG laser operating at 1.06 μm and 946 nm. The dual-wavelength pulsed laser was realized successfully through adaptive coating design of the cavity mirrors. As much as 1.6 W total average output power of the dual-wavelength at 1.06 μm and 946 nm was achieved at the incident pump power of 14.2 W with an optical conversion efficiency of 11.3%.     

Passively mode-locked ytterbium fiber laser utilizing chirped-fiber-Bragg-gratings for dispersion control

A robust, self-starting picosecond pulse source based on ytterbium (Yb³⁺) doped fiber laser is described. Utilizing a chirped-fiber-Bragg-grating (C-FBG) for dispersion control, solitary mode-locking is obtained without bulk dispersion compensation elements. A semiconductor saturable absorber (SESAM) is used for stable self-starting. 3.6 ps pulses are produced, with 45 MHz basic repetition-rate and mW scale average output power at 1060 nm. Detailed numerical simulations based on the modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation agree well with the experimental results and are used as a design tool for the solitary mode-locked picosecond laser. The presented design can be simply employed in an all-fiber environmentally-stable system.     

Diode-pumped passively mode-locked Nd:CLNGG laser

Passive mode-locking of a diode-pumped Nd:CLNGG laser was demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge. The laser operated at a central wavelength of 1061.2 nm with a maximum average output power of 101 mW. The mode-locked pulses have pulse duration of 2.0 ps, a spectral bandwidth of 1.2 nm and a repetition rate of 88.4 MHz. The mode locking of the laser was enabled by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM).     

Continuous-wave broadly tunable Cr:ZnSe laser pumped by a thulium fiber laser

We describe a compact, broadly tunable, continuous-wave (cw) Cr²⁺:ZnSe laser pumped by a thulium fiber laser at 1800 nm. In the experiments, a polycrystalline ZnSe sample with a chromium concentration of 9.5 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ was used. Free-running laser output was around 2500 nm. Output couplers with transmissions of 3%, 6%, and 15% were used to characterize the power performance of the laser. Best power performance was obtained with a 15% transmitting output coupler. In this case, as high as 640 mW of output power was obtained with 2.5 W of pump power at a wavelength of 2480 nm. The stimulated emission cross-section values determined from laser threshold data and emission measurements were in good agreement. Finally, broad, continuous tuning of the laser was demonstrated between 2240 and 2900 nm by using an intracavity Brewster cut MgF₂ prism and a single set of optics.     

Diode-pumped passively mode-locked Nd:GdVO4 laser at 912 nm

We have demonstrated the stable mode-locked Nd:GdVO₄ laser operating on the ⁴F_3/2-⁴I_9/2 transition at 912 nm. With a four-mirror-folded cavity and a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror for passive mode-locking, we have gained 6.5 ps laser pulses at a repetition rate of 178 MHz. The laser is diode-end-pumped, and the total output power from the out coupler is 128 mw at an incident pump power of 19.7 W.     

Graphene-based passively Q-switched 2 μm thulium-doped fiber laser

We demonstrated stable pulses generation at 2 μm in a passively Q-switched thulium-doped fiber laser using a few layer graphene thin film. The maximum output power was 4.5 mW and the single pulse energy was 85 nJ at 53 kHz repetition rate, and the pulse width was about 1.4 μs. The pulse width and the repetition rate of the Q-switched fiber laser can be changed along with the pump power. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of graphene saturable absorber for passively Q-switched 2 μm fiber lasers.     

Self-Q-switched and mode-locked 946 nm Cr,Nd:YAG laser

A simultaneous self-Q-switched and mode-locked diode-pumped 946 nm laser by using a Cr,Nd:YAG crystal as gain medium as well as saturable absorber is demonstrated for the first time as we know. The maximum average output power of 751 mW with a slope efficiency of 18.38% is obtained at an intra-cavity average peak power intensity of 4.83 × 10⁶ W/cm². Under this circumstance, the repetition rate of Q-switched envelopes is 9.63 kHz and the pulse width is about 460 ns. Almost 100% mode-locked modulation depth is obtained at all time in the experiment process whether the incident pump power is low or high. The repetition rate of mode-locked pulses within a Q-switched envelope is 135.13 MHz and the mode-locked pulse width is within 600 ps. The laser produces high-quality pulses in TEM₀₀-mode in the simultaneous self-Q-switched and mode-locked experiment.     

High power diode-pumped passively Q-switched and mode-locking Nd:GdVO4 laser at 912 nm

A high power diode-end-pumped passively Q-switched and mode-locking (QML) Nd:GdVO₄ laser at 912 nm was demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. A Z-type laser cavity with Cr⁴⁺:YAG crystals as the intracavity saturable absorber were employed in the experiments. Influence of the initial transmission (T_U) of the saturable absorber on the QML laser performance was investigated. Using the T_U = 95% Cr⁴⁺:YAG, as much as an average output power of 2.0 W pulsed 912 nm laser was produced at an absorbed pump power of 25.0 W, then the repetition rates of the Q-switched envelope and the mode-locking pulse were ~ 224 kHz and ~ 160 MHz, respectively. Whereas the maximum output power was reduced to 1.3 W using the T_U = 90% Cr⁴⁺:YAG, we obtained a 100% modulation depth for the mode-locking pulses inside the Q-switched envelope.     

Diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:LuVO4 laser at 916 nm

We demonstrate a passively Q-switched Nd:LuVO₄ laser at 916 nm by using a Nd, Cr:YAG crystal as the saturable absorber. As we know, it is the first time to realize the laser with a simple linear resonator. When the incident pump power increased from 14.6 W to 23.7 W, the pulse width of the Q-switched laser decreased from 24 ns to 21 ns. The pulse width was insensitive to the incident pump power in the experiment. The average output power of 288 mW with repetition rate of 39 kHz was obtained at an incident pump power of 22.5 W, with the optical-to-optical efficiency and slope efficiency 1.3% and 3.6%, respectively.     

LD end pumped, actively mode locked and passively Q-switched Nd:YAP laser at 1341 nm

An end pumped Nd:YAP laser at 1341 nm is actively mode locked and passively Q-switched. Pumping was done with a pulsed high power laser diode with maximum power 425 W. V³⁺:YAG with 61% initial transmission served as saturable absorber, and an acousto-optic modulator is used for active mode locking. The output pulse train with 69 ns duration has a total energy of 3.2 mJ with ±4% shot-to-shot fluctuation. The peak output energy of a single mode locked pulse is 0.25 mJ. The pulse duration of a single mode locked pulse is less than 800 ps. The output laser beam is nearly diffraction limited with 1.6 mm diameter, and beam propagation factor M² about 1.3.     

Generation of 25 ps pulses by self induced mode locking of a single broad area diode laser with 300 mW average output power

Detailed investigations of the spatiotemporal and spectral emission properties of a high power diode laser are presented. The AR coated laser diode with design wavelength of 940 nm is driven in an external resonator. The laser generates up to 340 mW average output power in a train of picosecond pulses with durations of 25 ps and repetition rates of 2.6 GHz. The mechanism of mode locking is discussed as self pulsation because of the strong correlation between round trip time and repetition rate. The double-sided exponential pulses suggest saturable absorber action.     

Frequency modulated and polarization maintaining fiber laser with narrow linewidth

A novel configuration of fiber laser with frequency modulation is presented. Frequency modulation, stable polarization state and narrow linewidth are realized by using the waveguide phase modulator, polarization maintaining devices and saturable absorber. It is shown that the laser output reaches 23 mW, linewidth is less than 1 kHz, polarization extinction ratio is higher than 20 dB and maximum value of frequency deviation can reach 7.5 MHz.     

Suppression of the amplified spontaneous emission in ultraintense and ultrashort lasers by a highly efficient saturable absorber

For ultraintense and ultrashort laser facilities, there are few efficient and reliable methods for suppressing the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) generated in the last several amplifiers. In the paper, we applied a highly efficient saturable absorber to suppress the ASE. Experiments were carried out to study the absorption property of the saturable absorber and the enhancement of temporal contrast with it in the front-end system of the SILEX-I laser facility with a central wavelength of 800 nm. We also analyzed the effects of the saturable absorber on other laser parameters, such as the spectrum, the spatial beam profile, and energy stability. The results show that the saturable absorber is highly efficient and the transmissivity is as high as 90%. The temporal contrast is improved by more than one order of magnitude. Meanwhile, the saturable absorber has little impact on other parameters. With these advantages, the saturable absorber is an efficient, appropriate and convenient solution to suppressing the ASE generated in the front-end system and also in the last several amplification stages for ultraintense and ultrashort lasers.