Harmonic mode locking with reduced carrier-envelope phase noise in ytterbium-doped fiber laser

We experimentally explored the influence of passive harmonic mode locking on the temporal and spectral features of a ytterbium-doped fiber laser. Similar dependences of free-running linewidth of the laser carrier-envelope offset frequency (f₀) on the intracavity net dispersion were observed for the fundamental-, second-, and third-order mode-locking states. Due to the reduction of nonlinear effects and supermode phase locking that balanced the third-order dispersion in the fiber cavity, the third-order harmonic mode-locking exhibited the narrowest free-running f₀linewidth of ～120 kHz in the near-zero net dispersion regime.     

Fourier domain mode locking pulse fiber laser

A novel pulse fiber laser is proposed based on the modulation of the lasing wavelength. Different from conventional amplitude or phase modulated mode-locking fiber lasers, the proposed fiber laser is with a so-called Fourier domain mode locking (FDML) operation (i.e., the cavity round-trip time of the optical pulse should match the period that the open time window of the tunable filter appears for the lasing wavelength or its harmonics). An FDML pulse fiber laser with a cavity round-trip frequency of 19.46 kHz is demonstrated and optical pulses with repetition rate of 19.46 kHz are achieved when the wavelength modulation frequency is 9.73 kHz.     

Passive harmonic mode locking with a high-power ytterbium-doped double-clad fiber laser

We report passive harmonic mode locking of a high-power Yb-doped double-clad fiber laser operating in both the normal- and the anomalous-dispersion regimes with a fundamental repetition rate of 20.4 MHz. In the normal-dispersion regime, 116-fs, 1.7-nJ pulses are emitted at a repetition rate of 102 MHz. The results indicate a supermode suppression of more than 60 dB. In the anomalous-dispersion regime, 1-ps, 125-pJ pulses are emitted at a higher repetition rate of 408 MHz.     

Passive harmonic mode locking of soliton bunches in a fiber ring laser

We report on the experimental observation of passive harmonic mode locking of bunches of single-pulse solitons or twin-pulse solitons in an Erbium-doped fiber ring laser. Experimental investigations on the phenomenon revealed that, although the soliton interaction between the adjacent single-/twin-pulse solitons in a bunch is weaker than that of the pulse interaction in the twin-pulse solitons, a soliton bunch could also function as a unit and form the state of passively harmonic mode-locking. Harmonic mode-locking is one of the intrinsic characteristics of soliton emission in passively mode-locked fiber ring lasers. It can be formed based on the single-pulse soliton, twin-pulse soliton, or bunch of solitons.     

Quasi-distributed fiber Bragg grating sensor system based on a Fourier domain mode locking fiber laser

A novel quasi-distributed fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor system based on Fourier domain mode locking (FDML) fiber laser is proposed and demonstrated. The low reflectivity FBGs with the same Bragg wavelength are connected cascaded in a long fiber working as the sensing elements of the sensor system as well as the wavelength and cavity length selecting elements of the FDML laser. By adjusting the driving frequency of the FDML fiber laser, lasing with different selected cavity lengths will be achieved correspondingly. When the wavelength of the working FBG shifts which includes the sensing information, FBG interrogation can be realized both in wavelength and time domain.     

Nonlinearly limited saturable-absorber mode locking of an erbium fiber laser

We describe an erbium fiber laser that is passively mode locked by a novel, precision antireflection-coated semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror that incorporates an additional two-photon absorber. It is shown that passive mode locking evolves from a Q-switching instability. The results are achieved by use of saturable absorbers that provide a large (15%) nonlinear (saturable) loss. Exploiting two-photon absorption can substantially reduce the peak power of the Q-switched pulses, which results in improved reliability of the laser. Moreover, two-photon absorption can be used to produce an optimal stability range for saturable-absorber mode locking.     

Toward passive mode locking by nonlinear polarization evolution in a cascaded Raman fiber ring laser

We demonstrate a cascaded Raman fiber ring laser delivering a pulsed fourth-order Stokes component. Periodic emission of subnanosecond pulses is achieved from the interplay between nonlinear polarization evolution and Raman cascade process.     

Passive harmonic mode locking of twin-pulse solitons in an erbium-doped fiber ring laser

We report on the experimental observation of passive harmonic mode locking of twin-pulse solitons in an erbium-doped fiber ring laser. Experimental investigations on the passive harmonic mode locking of both the single-pulse and the twin-pulse solitons revealed that, apart from the gain recovery and acoustically induced soliton interactions, the global soliton interaction mediated through an unstable CW lasing in the laser cavity also plays an important role in the formation of the state in the laser.     

1.5-microm monolithic GaInNAs semiconductor saturable-absorber mode locking of an erbium fiber laser

We present a new monolithic GaAs-based semiconductor saturable absorber operating at 1.55 microm. An epitaxially grown absorber mirror in a GaInNAs/GaAs material system was successfully used to mode lock an erbium-doped fiber laser. The GaInNAs material system possesses intriguing physical properties and provides great potential for lasers and nonlinear optical devices operating at the 1.3-1.55-microm wavelength range.     

离子注入GaAs实现双包层掺镱光纤激光器被动调Q锁模

用离子注入的半绝缘GaAs晶片作为吸收体和输出镜，在双包层掺镱光纤激光器上实现了调Q锁模. 离子注入的能量为400keV的As+离子，注入剂量为1016/cm2，然后在600℃下退火20min. 当抽运功率为5W时, 脉冲平均输出功率为200mW, 调Q包络重复频率为50kHz, 半高宽为4μs，锁模脉冲重复频率为15MHz. 关键词： 离子注入GaAs 掺镱光纤激光器 被动调Q锁模     

The effect of hard mode locking in a dye laser

The influence of the relaxation time of a saturable absorber on the dynamics of a quasi-continuous ring laser is investigated. It is shown that in a dye laser with a fast absorber, bistability arises; thus two multimode regimes coexist. The regime of shallow stochastic modulation is established spontaneously. Transition to the mode-locking regime accompanied by a sharp increase in the number of generated modes is feasible only under the action of an initiating pulse (hard mode locking). The analytical criterion for hard locking has been obtained. If the criterion is not satisfied, the only stable regime of a laser is mode locking. In this case the transient process is the longer the smaller the relaxation time of a saturable absorber.     

A continuous-mode model of the mode locking in a pump-modulated laser

The active mode-locking process of the multimode laser with an external pump modulation is theoretically investigated in the frequency domain within the framework of the continuous-mode approximation. Intermode interaction and mode-coupling effects, including both AM and FM modulations, are naturally considered in a hierarchical equation of the mode components derived from the multimode Maxwell-Bloch equations. It is reduced to a continuous-mode equation that can be solved analytically in a stationary case, and used to discuss the spectral line shape and the phase dynamics of mode-components as a function of modulation amplitude and detuning of the modulation frequency. We predict a novel oscillation existing below the threshold of the ordinary complete mode-locking: The intensity of the total electric field yields a stable pulse train but its phase varies irregularly in time. This semi-locked state is characterized by a nonlinear chirping, an asymmetric spectrum, and drifting phases of the field mode-components.     

Suppression of mode partition noise in a multiwavelength semiconductor laser through hybrid mode locking

We demonstrate the suppression of intensity fluctuations, which are known as mode partition noise, in a multiwavelength semiconductor laser by using a hybrid mode-locking scheme. The laser design incorporates a saturable absorber and a gain-modulated semiconductor optical amplifier, along with spectral filtering, in an external cavity to achieve multiwavelength hybrid mode locking. The mode-locked laser produces an error-free (pulse Q>13) 300-MHz optical pulse train in each of three wavelength channels.     

Investigation of the passive mode locking in a La-Nd-Mg hexaaluminate-doped laser

Passive mode locking is reported for the first time in a La-Nd-Mg hexaaluminate-doped laser. A 10 ps duration of an ultrashort pulse limited by the optical damage threshold of the crystal is attained.     

Phase locking of a compact Nd-doped phosphate multicore fiber laser

Two compact fiber lasers based on the gain medium of Nd-doped phosphate glass multicore fiber (MCF), of length no more than 10 cm, have been demonstrated experimentally for the first time. A stable phase-locked laser beam at 1055 nm emitted from a three-core fiber that is 8.5 cm in length has been achieved, with a maximum output power of 20 mW. The properties of similar seven-core fiber laser also have been investigated.     

Passive mode locking at harmonics of the free spectral range of the intracavity filter in a fiber ring laser

We report the passive mode-locking at harmonics of the free spectral range (FSR) of the intracavity multi-channel filter in a fiber ring laser. The laser uses a sampled fiber Bragg grating (SFBG) with a free spectral range (FSR) of 0.8 nm, or 99 GHz at 1555 nm, and a length of highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber with low and flat dispersion. Stable picosecond soliton pulse trains with twofold to sevenfold enhancement in the repetition rate, relative to the FSR of the SFBG, have been achieved. The passive mode-locking mechanism that is at play in this laser relies on a dissipative four-wave mixing process and switching of repetition rate is realized simply by adjustment of the intracavity polarization controllers.     

Phase locking in a multicore fiber laser by means of a Talbot resonator

We report phase locking of a diode-pumped multicore fiber laser with a circular array of 18 Nd-doped emitters (microcores) acting as an active medium. Phase locking was achieved in a Talbot resonator configuration. We present calculations of the effective reflection coefficients that are due to self-imaging. Far-field distributions and near-field pattern of several supermodes are calculated and compared with experimental results.     

Generation of a 64-GHz, 3.3-ps transform-limited pulse train from a fiber laser employing higher-order frequency-modulated mode locking

We demonstrate the generation of optical pulses at a repetition rate of 64 GHz directly from a frequency-modulated (FM) mode-locked fiber laser. This is achieved by phase modulation at 16 GHz and by initiating of higher-order FM mode locking by use of an intracavity Fabry-Perot filter with a free spectral range of 64 GHz. This process yielded transform-limited pulses with a width of 3.3 ps. We investigated the operating characteristics of the laser and compared them with the characteristics that were predicted theoretically.     

Semiconductor-doped-silica saturable-absorber films for solid-state laser mode locking

We describe a new saturable-absorber materials system for solid-state laser mode locking based on thin, nonepitaxially grown, semiconductor-doped films. We fabricated thin films of InAs semiconductor microcrystalites in silica, using rf sputtering. We could control the linear absorption by varying the film thickness, and the nonlinear absorption saturation cross section and recovery time could be adjusted by use of rapid thermal annealing. The use of 30-nm- thick InAs-doped silica films on sapphire for initiation of Kerr-lens mode locking in a Ti:Al(2)O(3) laser was demonstrated. Pulses as short as 25 fs were generated with a wavelength tuning range from 800 to 880 nm.     

All-passive phase locking of a compact Er:fiber laser system

A passively phase-locked laser source based on compact femtosecond Er:fiber technology is introduced. The carrier-envelope offset frequency is set to zero via difference frequency generation between a soliton at a wavelength of 2?μm and a dispersive wave at 860?nm generated in the same highly nonlinear fiber. This process results in a broadband output centered at 1.55?μm. Subsequently, the 40?MHz pulse train seeds a second Er:fiber amplifier, which boosts the pulse energy up to 8?nJ at a duration of 125?fs. Excellent phase stability is demonstrated via f-to-2f spectral interferometry.