Properties of a vector soliton laser passively mode-locked by a fiber-based semiconductor saturable absorber operating in transmission

We experimentally demonstrate a passively mode-locked fiber laser employing a fiber-based semiconductor saturable absorber (SSA) operating in transmission. Polarization rotation locked vector solitons are observed in the laser. Due to the intrinsic dynamic feature of the laser, period-doubling of these vector solitons has also been observed. Furthermore, extra spectral sidebands are formed on the optical spectrum, caused by the energy exchange between the two orthogonal polarization components of the vector solitons. By careful reduction of the pump power together with fine adjustment to the cavity birefringence, period-one state can further be obtained. Additionally, the phase noise properties of the vector soliton fiber laser have also been characterized experimentally and analytically.     

Effects of high-order dispersions on dark-bright vector soliton propagation and interaction

The dynamics of dark-bright vector solitons is investigated in a birefringent fiber with the high-order dispersions,and their effects on vector soliton propagation and interaction are analyzed using the numerical method.The combined role of the high-order dispersions,such as the third-order dispersion (TOD) and the fourth-order dispersion (FOD),may cause various deformation of the vector soliton and enhance interaction.These effects depend strictly on the sign of the high-order dispersions.Results indicate that the disadvantageous effects can be reduced effectively via proper mapping of the high-order dispersions.     

Vector dissipative solitons in graphene mode locked fiber lasers

Vector soliton operation of erbium-doped fiber lasers mode locked with atomic layer graphene was experimentally investigated. Either the polarization rotation or polarization locked vector dissipative solitons were experimentally obtained in a dispersion-managed cavity fiber laser with large net cavity dispersion, while in the anomalous dispersion cavity fiber laser, the phase locked nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) solitons and induced NLSE soliton were experimentally observed. The vector soliton operation of the fiber lasers unambiguously confirms the polarization insensitive saturable absorption of the atomic layer graphene when the light is incident perpendicular to its 2-dimentional (2D) atomic layer.     

Induced solitons formed by cross-polarization coupling in a birefringent cavity fiber laser

We report on the experimental observation of induced solitons in a passively mode-locked fiber ring laser with a birefringence cavity. Owing to the cross coupling between the two orthogonal polarization components of the laser, it was found that if a soliton was formed along one cavity polarization axis, a weak soliton was also induced along the orthogonal polarization axis, and depending on the net cavity birefringence, the induced soliton could have either the same or different center wavelengths to that of the inducing soliton. Moreover, the induced soliton always had the same group velocity as that of the inducing soliton. They formed a vector soliton in the cavity. Numerical simulations confirmed the experimental observations.     

Period-doubling of vector solitons in a ring fiber laser

Period-doubling of vector solitons in a ring fiber laser was experimentally observed for the first time. Apart from period-doubling of single vector soliton, period-doubling of multiple vector solitons was observed as well. Numerical simulation verified the experimental observation.     

全正色散多波长被动锁模耗散孤子掺镱光纤激光器

报道了一种带有周期性双折射光纤滤波器的全正色散多波长被动锁模耗散孤子掺镱光纤激光器. 通过数值模拟发现加入滤波器后激光器能输出多波长耗散孤子脉冲, 调节滤波器带宽大小可以得到不同波长个数和波长间隔的多波长锁模耗散孤子脉冲. 在激光器产生的四波长和五波长耗散孤子脉冲中观察到了耗散孤子分子, 并且通过调节滤波器参数和饱和功率可以改变多波长脉冲中耗散孤子分子的个数和波长. 这是在被动锁模光纤激光器中首次实现包含有耗散孤子分子的多波长脉冲. 另外还在实验上实现了全正色散双波长被动锁模耗散孤子的产生. 关键词： 全正色散 耗散孤子 多波长脉冲 孤子分子     

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.     

Regimes of operation states in passively mode-locked fiber soliton ring laser

The principal of passively mode-locked fiber soliton ring lasers is summarized, including its three output operation states: normal soliton, bound–solitons and noise-like pulse. The experimental results of the passively mode-locked fiber soliton ring lasers developed by us are given. Bound–solitons with different discrete separations and three-bound–solitons state have been observed in our fiber laser for the first time. The relationship among three operation states in fiber soliton laser is analyzed.     

Soliton dynamics of megawatt ultrashort light pulses in a hollow photonic-crystal fiber: Effect of high-order dispersion and retarded nonlinearity

The properties of megawatt optical solitons in hollow photonic-crystal fibers (PCFs) are studied. We demonstrate regimes where high-power laser pulses can be compressed to a few cycles of light field and identify the main tendencies in the soliton dynamics of ultrashort laser pulses in hollow PCFs originating from dispersion properties and limited transmission band of such waveguides. The influence of retarded nonlinearity on the soliton dynamics of high-power laser pulses in a hollow PCF is analyzed. In a multisoliton regime, retarded nonlinearity and high-order dispersion are shown to result in the formation of high-power pulses displaying no oscillations of their temporal envelope, which would be typical of standard high-order solitons.     

Close spaced ultra-short bound solitons from DI-NOLM Figure-8 fiber laser

Ultra-short soliton pulses of 72 fs without any pedestal and CW components are observed from Figure-8 passively mode-locked fiber laser, which is incorporated with a dispersion-imbalanced nonlinear optical loop mirror (DI-NOLM). Bound states of asymmetrical solitons with pulse width of 103 fs and separation of 585.5 fs are also observed. The bound soliton separation and pulsewidth remain unchanged even after passing through 1.2 km single mode fiber (SMF) transmission.     

Chaotic dynamics of a passively mode-locked soliton fiber ring laser

We report on the experimental and numerical studies of the chaotic dynamics of a soliton fiber ring laser passively mode-locked by using the nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) technique. Period-doubling route to chaos on the soliton repetition rate of either the single pulse soliton or the bound solitons of the laser was experimentally observed. Based on a coupled complex Ginzburg-Landau equation model and also taking into account the laser cavity effect, we further show numerically that the period-doubling bifurcations and route to chaos are intrinsic properties of the laser, whose appearance is independent of the details of the laser cavity design and the laser soliton operation. Property of the solitons under the dynamical bifurcations is also numerically investigated.     

孤子激光器及其发展

激光和孤子研究的进展,导致一种新型的、输出脉宽及形状可控的超短光脉冲激光器——孤子激光器的诞生。孤子激光器在光通讯、光计算、超高速现象的研究、超高速光电子器件的研制等方面有其独特的应用。它也使我们有可能对孤子效应本身进行深入研究。本文将叙述在单模光纤中形成孤子的机制,孤子激光及喇曼孤子激光原理,孤子及孤子激光研究的进展,包括孤子激光的稳定性、孤子自频移以及孤子间的相互作用力等。最后介绍一些已经出现的或将来可能出现的应用,并指出这是一个正在迅速发展的研究领域。     

Polarization locked vector solitons and axis instability in optical fiber

We experimentally observe polarization-locked vector solitons in optical fiber. Polarization locked-vector solitons use nonlinearity to preserve their polarization state despite the presence of birefringence. To achieve conditions where the delicate balance between nonlinearity and birefringence can survive, we studied the polarization evolution of the pulses circulating in a laser constructed entirely of optical fiber. We observe two distinct states with fixed polarization. This first state occurs for very small values birefringence and is elliptically polarized. We measure the relative phase between orthogonal components along the two principal axes to be +/-pi/2. The relative amplitude varies linearly with the magnitude of the birefringence. This state is a polarization locked vector soliton. The second, linearly polarized, state occurs for larger values of birefringence. The second state is due to the fast axis instability. We provide complete characterization of these states, and present a physical explanation of both of these states and the stability of the polarization locked vector solitons. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.     

Soliton interaction in the coupled mixed derivative nonlinear Schrödinger equations

The bright one- and two-soliton solutions of the coupled mixed derivative nonlinear Schrödinger equations in birefringent optical fibers are obtained by using the Hirota's bilinear method. The investigation on the collision dynamics of the bright vector solitons shows that there exists complete or partial energy switching in this coupled model. Such parametric energy exchanges can be effectively controlled and quantificationally measured by analyzing the collision dynamics of the bright vector solitons. The influence of two types of nonlinear coefficient parameters on the energy of each vector soliton, is also discussed. Based on the significant energy transfer between the two components of each vector soliton, it is feasible to exploit the future applications in the design of logical gates, fiber directional couplers and quantum information processors.     

Observation of temporal vector soliton propagation and collision in birefringent fiber

We report the experimental observation of temporal vector soliton propagation and collision in a linearly birefringent optical fiber. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is both the first demonstration of temporal vector solitons with two mutually incoherent component fields, and of vector soliton collisions in a Kerr nonlinear medium. Collisions are characterized by an intensity redistribution between the two components, and the experimental results agree with numerical predictions of the coupled nonlinear Schr?dinger equation.     

Evolution of dissipative-soliton laser from molecule to multipulse

We report on the evolution of dissipative-soliton laser from single pulse to soliton molecule, lastly to multiple pulses. The experimental observations show that the pulse separation of soliton molecules is oscillating stochastically. It is found that the proposed fiber laser delivers pulses from a soliton to a soliton molecule, two solitons, a soliton molecule together with a soliton, and three solitons, respectively, when, the pump strength is enhanced gradually.     

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.     

Energy quantization of twin-pulse solitons in a passively mode-locked fiber ring laser

A novel twin-pulse form of solitary wave was recently revealed in a passively mode-locked fiber ring laser. In this paper we report on the energy quantization feature of the twin-pulse solitons in the laser. We show that, as in the case of single-pulse solitons, multiple twin-pulse solitons can coexist in the laser cavity, and, in particular, that all of them have exactly the same pulse energy and twin-pulse separation. The pump-power hysteresis effect previously reported for the single-pulse soliton operation is also observed for the twin-pulse soliton operation of the laser. PACS 42.81.Dp; 42.55.Wd; 42.60.Fc     

Multipulse bound solitons with fixed pulse separations formed by direct soliton interaction

We present experimental evidence of multipulse bound solitons with fixed pulse separations in a dispersion-managed passively mode-locked fiber ring laser. The bound solitons are formed by the direct soliton interaction and are strongly stable. Although formed under different experimental conditions, various multipulse bound solitons were found to have exactly the same fixed pulse separations. Bound states of the multipulse bound solitons were also experimentally obtained, which suggest that the multipulse in a bound soliton behaves as a unit. They together could be treated as a new form of soliton. PACS 42.81.Dp; 42.55.Wd; 42.60.Fc     

Bound states of solitons in a fiber laser mode locked with carbon nanotube saturable absorber

We report on the experimental observation of bound states of solitons in an erbium-doped fiber laser passively mode-locked by the carbon nanotube saturable absorber. Bound states of solitons with various pulse separations are obtained. While the tightly bound solitons always exhibit the same set of fixed discrete pulse separations with π or π/2 phase difference, the feature becomes less obvious for the loosely bound solitons. The result that various states of the bound solitons were obtained in the same fiber laser makes a systematic experimental study on them and a comparison of their properties possible. Our results once again show that the bound soliton emission is an intrinsic feature of the mode-locked soliton fiber lasers.