Comparison of pulse evolutions in low and ultra-large anomalous dispersion mode-locked fiber lasers

We have investigated and compared the pulse evolutions in low and ultra-large anomalous dispersion erbium-doped fiber lasers mode-locked by the nonlinear polarization rotation technique. Two lasers deliver the pulses that exhibit quite distinct characteristics such as pulse duration, spectral width, and spectral sidebands. Experimental observations show that the spectral width decreases from several nanometers to less than one nanometer whereas pulse duration extends about three times by changing the cavity dispersion from −0.03 to −15.50 ps². The solitons in ultra-large anomalous fiber laser show dips in the optical spectrum, which is quite distinct from that of conventional solitons observed in low anomalous regime.     

High pulse energy mode-locked multicore photonic crystal fiber laser

A high pulse energy passively mode-locked fiber laser operating in the all-normal dispersion regime is demonstrated. The gain material is an Yb-doped multicore photonic crystal fiber with 18 cores in array-type geometry. Robust and self-starting mode locking is achieved using a fast semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. The laser generates 180?nJ chirped pulses at a 14.48?MHz repetition rate for an average power of 2.6?W. The 1.15?ps output pulses are compressed to 690?fs outside the cavity.     

基于非线性偏振旋转锁模的高功率光子晶体光纤飞秒激光振荡器

为了探索大模场面积光子晶体光纤锁模激光器在全正色散锁模域内的耗散孤子锁模机理, 以获得更大的单脉冲能量和更高的峰值功率, 本文搭建了以掺镱大模场面积光子晶体光纤作为增益介质的耗散孤子锁模激光器. 激光器使用环形腔结构, 利用非线性偏振旋转以及滤光片提供的耗散作用实现了稳定的锁模运转. 实验中, 从激光器振荡级直接获得了平均功率10 W, 重复频率49.09 MHz(对应202 nJ的单脉冲能量), 脉冲宽度为1.03 ps的稳定锁模脉冲输出, 经过腔外色散补偿得到的脉冲宽度为95.5 fs.     

All-fiber-integrated soliton-similariton laser with in-line fiber filter

We demonstrate an all-fiber-integrated Er-doped fiber laser operating in the soliton-similariton mode-locking regime. In the similariton part of the cavity, a self-similarly evolving parabolic pulse with highly linear chirp propagates in the presence of normal dispersion. Following an in-line fiber-based birefringent filter, the pulse evolves into a soliton in the part of the cavity with anomalous dispersion. The similariton and the soliton pulses are dechirped to 75.5 and 167.2?fs, respectively, outside of the cavity. Mode-locked operation is very robust, owing to the influence of the two similariton and soliton attractors that predominate each half of the laser cavity. The experimental results are supported with numerical simulations, which provide good agreement.     

Long-cavity passively mode-locked fiber ring laser with high-energy rectangular-shape pulses in anomalous dispersion regime

We report on a long-cavity passively mode-locked fiber laser in the anomalous dispersion regime. The nonlinear polarization rotation technique is employed to achieve mode locking. The output pulse from the fiber laser has a rectangular shape and a corresponding gaussian-shape spectral profile. Stable mode-locked pulses at a repetition rate of 278 kHz with single pulse energy as high as 715 nJ are obtained under equal bidirectional pumping power of 500 mW in cavity. The experimental results demonstrate that the passively mode-locked fiber laser operating in the anomalous regime can also realize a high-energy pulse, which is different from the conventional low-energy soliton pulse.     

利用啁啾光纤光栅色散特性实现波长可调谐的主动锁模掺铒光纤环行腔激光器

在环形腔主动锁模光纤激光器中引入啁啾光纤光栅，利用啁啾光纤光栅的大色散特性，通过调节调制频率，实现波长调谐，调谐范围2nm。所得脉冲为重复频率2．5GHz，脉宽约60ps的正啁啾脉冲，。     

High-energy soliton pulse generation with a passively mode-locked Er/Yb-doped multifilament-core fiber laser

We report the generation of high-energy short pulses from a mode-locked erbium/ytterbium-doped large-mode-area multifilament-core fiber laser operating in the purely anomalous dispersion regime. The self-starting fiber laser emits 400 mW of average output power at a pulse repetition rate of 44 MHz, corresponding to a pulse energy of 9.1 nJ. The laser produces near transform-limited output pulses with pulse duration of 1.6 ps, corresponding to 5 kW peak power. This new type of low-nonlinearity fibers demonstrates the power and energy scaling potential of fiber-based short pulse lasers in the eye-safe region.     

多芯光子晶体光纤锁模激光器

实验研究了基于掺Yb多芯大模场面积光子晶体光纤的全正色散锁模激光器.增益光纤的18个纤芯呈六角阵列排布,等效的模场直径约为52 μm.激光器基于σ腔结构,腔内没有色散补偿元件,通过半导体可饱和吸收镜实现锁模的自启动.实验获得了平均功率为3.3 W,脉冲宽度为4.92 ps,重复频率为44.68 MHz的锁模脉冲输出,对应的单脉冲能量为74 nJ,脉冲经腔外光栅对压缩为780 fs. 关键词： 光子晶体光纤 多芯 光纤激光器 全正色散     

Stable multigigahertz pulse-train formation in a short-cavity passively harmonic mode-locked erbium/ytterbium fiber laser

We demonstrate a short-cavity erbium-ytterbium fiber laser that is passively mode locked by a saturable Bragg reflector with a fundamental repetition rate of 235 MHz . The laser operates in the soliton regime and under passive harmonic mode locking with 11 pulses in the cavity and produces output pulse trains at 2.6 GHz with transform-limited 270-fs pulses and 1.6 mW of average power. Within the cavity the multiple pulses form a stable pattern with fixed, nearly equal pulse-to-pulse temporal spacings, causing the output pulse train to have timing offsets of less than 15 ps. A slow gain-recovery model is proposed to explain the pulse-train self-organization.     

Wavelength tunable,high energy femtosecond laser pulses directly generated from large-mode-area photonic crystal fiber

Wavelength tunable high energy ultrashort laser pulses are generated from a large-mode-area photonic crystal fiber in anomalous dispersion (AD) regime. A simplified laser cavity design with one fine polished facet of the fiber as a cavity mirror is used. The intra-cavity dispersion compensation is achieved by a grating pair, the spatial dispersed light from which also have optical spectrum filtering effects combined with the limited aperture of the fiber core. The laser system is able to generate ultrashort pulses ranging from 494 fs (with 56 nJ pulse energy) to 1.24 ps (with 49 nJ pulse energy) at 55 MHz repetition rate. The filtering mechanism benefits the generation of high energy pulses with narrowing pulse duration in AD regime. An undulation in frequency and time domain is also observed with the increase of the pump power. Furthermore, this laser system is directly used as seed for supercontinuum generation.     

实现20Gbit/s的OTDM孤子信号56km色散位移光纤的传输

在国内最先采用孤子的方式将8×2.5Gb/s的OTDM信号在色散位移光纤中传输了56.1km,对8×2.5Gb/s的OTDM进行解复用后进行了误码测量,系统功率代价为2.9dB.系统采用增益开关半导体激光器作光孤子源,高Q电滤波方式提取时钟,非线性光学环路镜解复用。孤子脉冲最大半宽度为20ps,传输光纤平均色散1.2ps/nm/km。     

Effect of the spectral distribution of a chirped pulse on the interaction of the high-power laser radiation with matter

The interaction of high-power picosecond laser radiation with solid targets is experimentally studied for the first time at various spectral distributions of a chirped laser pulse. The interaction of the high-power laser radiation with the target is studied at four regimes of the experimental setup: (i) at a relatively high contrast (10³) in the picosecond (Δt ～ 25 ps) range, (ii) at a relatively low contrast (3 × 10¹) in the picosecond (Δt ～ 25 ps) range, (iii) with spectral distortions of the chirped pulse, and (iv) with a strongly modulated spectrum of the chirped pulse. The results obtained reveal a strong dependence of the atomic and nuclear processes in the laser picosecond plasma on the spectral distribution of the chirped laser pulse. The prospects for the application of the spectral interferometry of chirped pulses for the online control of the parameters of the high-power laser radiation are demonstrated.     

Ultrafast Raman laser mode-locked by nanotubes

We demonstrate passive mode-locking of a Raman fiber laser using a nanotube-based saturable absorber coupled to a net normal dispersion cavity. This generates highly chirped 500?ps pulses. These are then compressed down to 2?ps, with 1.4?kW peak power, making it a simple wavelength-versatile source for various applications.     

Dark pulse generation in a dispersion-managed fiber laser

We report an experimental observation of dark pulse generation in a dispersion-managed erbium-doped fiber laser with net anomalous cavity group-velocity dispersion. It is found that apart from the bright soliton pulses, dark pulses with spectral sidebands could be obtained in the laser under appropriate operating conditions. The generation of dark pulses may be attributed to soliton shaping in the cavity.     

Ultrashort pulse formation and evolution in mode-locked fiber lasers

Passive mode-locking in fiber lasers is investigated by numerical and experimental means. A non-distributed scalar model solving the nonlinear Schr?dinger equation is implemented to study the starting behavior and intra-cavity dynamics numerically. Several operation regimes at positive net-cavity dispersion are experimentally accessed and studied in different environmentally stable, linear laser configurations. In particular, pulse formation and evolution in the chirped-pulse regime at highly positive cavity dispersion is discussed. Based on the experimental results a route to highly energetic pulse solutions is shown in numerical simulations.     

Chirped pulse amplification in single mode Tm:fiber using a chirped Bragg grating

We report femtosecond pulse generation and chirped pulse amplification in Tm:fiber. A mode-locked oscillator operating in the soliton regime produced 800 fs pulses with 5 nm spectral bandwidth, at 40 pJ pulse energy. This oscillator seeded a pre-amplifier that utilizes a Raman soliton self-frequency shift to produce wavelength tunable pulses with 3 nJ energy, reduced pulse duration of 150 fs, and increased bandwidth of 30 nm. For further amplification, the pulses were stretched up to 160 ps using a chirped Bragg grating (CBG). Stretched pulses were amplified to 85 nJ after compression in single-mode Tm:fiber and recompressed with the CBG as short as 400 fs. Compressed pulses were coupled into a highly nonlinear tellurite fiber to investigate the potential of this ultrashort pulse 2-μm fiber source as a pump for mid-IR supercontinuum generation.     

色散补偿及高阶孤子压缩啁啾光脉冲的理论与实验研究

利用半导体激光器的单模速率方程及超短光脉冲在光纤中传输的非线性薛定谔(NLS)方程，从理论及实验上研究了增益开关DFB半导体激光器出射的啁啾光脉冲在色散补偿光纤(DCF)及色散位移光纤(DSF)中的压缩过程与规律.实验上，从1.55μm增益开关DFB半导体激光器出射的重复频率为2.5GHz、脉冲宽度为53.8ps的光脉冲经色散补偿光纤压缩至12ps,而后利用色散位移光纤中的高阶孤子压缩效应将脉冲压缩至2.5ps.改变色散位移光纤参数及入射光功率后获得最窄光脉冲宽度为2.1ps.理论与实验结果符合. 关键词：     

Experimental Observation of Bright and Dark Solitons Mode-Locked with Zirconia-Based Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser

We demonstrate the generation of dark and bright solitons with our homemade zirconia-based erbium-doped fiber and graphene oxide(GO) saturable absorber in anomalous dispersion region.The GO is fabricated using an abridged Hummer's method,which is combined with polyethylene oxide to produce a composite film.The film is sandwiched between two optical ferrules and embedded in the laser cavity to enhance its birefringence and nonlinearity.The self-starting bright soliton is easily generated at pump power of 78 mW with the whole length cavity of 14.7 m.The laser produces the bright pulse train with repetition rate,pulse width,pulse energy and central wavelength being 13.9 MHz,0.6 ps,2.74 p J and 1577.46 nm,respectively.Then,by adding the 10 m of single mode fiber into the laser cavity,dark soliton pulse is produced.For the formation of dark pulse train,the measured repetition rate,pulse width,pulse energy and central wavelength are 8.3 MHz,20 ns and 4.98 p J and1596.82 nm,respectively.Both pulses operate in the anomalous region.     

非线性偏振旋转锁模自相似脉冲光纤激光器的研究

利用耦合非线性薛定谔方程（CNLSE）为非线性偏振旋转（NPE）锁模自相似光纤激光器建立了一种新的数值模型.模型中,用CNLSE描述脉冲在单模光纤中的传播,在增益光纤中同时考虑了增益带宽和增益饱和作用,用传输矩阵描述构成NPE锁模的光学元件.优化了腔内净色散和光纤长度等参数,模拟了脉冲在激光腔内的演化特性,得到了典型的自相似脉冲运行区域及特点.在最佳自相似脉冲运行区域内,得到了能量约为7 nJ、脉宽约11 ps、线性啁啾的抛物脉冲.比较了不同腔内净色散条件下输出脉冲的特点,给出了三阶色散对输出脉冲的影响. 关键词： 自相似脉冲 非线性偏振旋转锁模 耦合非线性薛定谔方程 数值模拟     

High-energy femtosecond photonic crystal fiber laser

We report the generation of high-energy high-peak power pulses in an all-normal dispersion fiber laser featuring large-mode-area photonic crystal fibers. The self-starting chirped-pulse fiber oscillator delivers 11 W of average power at 15.5 MHz repetition rate, resulting in 710 nJ of pulse energy. The output pulses are dechirped outside the cavity from 7 ps to nearly transform-limited duration of 300 fs, leading to pulse peak powers as high as 1.9 MW. Numerical simulations reveal that pulse shaping is dominated by the amplitude modulation and spectral filtering provided by a resonant semiconductor saturable absorber.