Exophytic inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the stomach in an adult woman:A rare cause of hemoperitoneum

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor （INT） of the stomach in adults is extremely rare, with unpredictable prognosis. We present a 55-year-old woman with a gastric IMT. She experienced sudden abdominal pain 4 d previously. Physical examination showed mild abdominal tenderness in the hypogastrium, but no palpable abnormal abdominal mass. Abdominal CT showed a mass of approximately 8 cm in the gastrocolic ligament. On laparoscopic exploration, unexpected hemoperitoneum of approximately 1.5 L of blood was found, and an exophytic gastric mass of approximately 10 cm, appeared from the anterior wall of the gastric body along the greater curvature. Laparoscopy further showed that non- clotting blood in the abdominal cavity seemed to be from the gastric tumor. After conversion to open surgery for more precise evaluation of the cause of hemoperitoneum and the large friable tumor, gastric wedge resection, including the tumor, was conducted. The final diagnosis was consistent with IMT that originated from the gastric wall.

Femtosecond Tm-Ho co-doped fiber laser using a bulk-structured Bi2Se3 topological insulator

We experimentally demonstrate a femtosecond mode-locked thulium-holmium（Tm-Ho） co-doped fiber laser incorporating a saturable absorber（SA） based on a bulk-structured bismuth selenide（Bi2Se3） topological insulator（TI）. The SA was prepared by depositing a mechanically exfoliated Bi2Se3 TI layer onto a side-polished optical fiber platform. Unlike high-quality nano-structured Bi2Se3 TI-based SA, bulk-structured Bi2Se3 with non-negligible oxidation was used as a saturable absorption material for this experimental demonstration due to its easy fabrication process. The saturation power and modulation depth of the prepared SA were measured to be -28.6 W and -13.4%, respectively. By incorporating the prepared SA into a Tm-Ho co-doped fiber ring cavity, stable soliton pulses with a temporal width of - 853 fs could be generated at 1912.12 nm. The 3-dB bandwidth of the mode-locked pulse was measured to be -4.87 nm. This experimental demonstration reaffirms that Bi2Se3 is a superb base material for mid-infrared passive mode-locking even under oxidation.

Femtosecond mode-locking of a fiber laser using a CoSb_3-skutterudite-based saturable absorber

We experimentally demonstrate an ultrafast mode-locker based on a CoSb_3 skutterudite topological insulator for femtosecond mode-locking of a fiber laser. The mode-locker was implemented on a side-polished fiber platform by depositing a CoSb_3∕PVA composite. The measured modulation depth and saturation power for the transverse-electric mode input were ～5% and ～8.7 W, respectively, and ～2.8% and ～10.6 W for the transverse-magnetic mode input. By incorporating this mode-locker into an erbium-doped fiber-based ring cavity, we were able to readily generate mode-locked, soliton pulses having a pulse width of ～833 fs at 1557.9 nm. The 3-dB bandwidth of the output pulses and time-bandwidth product were ～3.44 and 0.353 nm, respectively. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the use of a skutterudite-based saturable absorber for femtosecond mode-locked pulse generation.

Passively Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser using the evanescent field interaction with bulk-like WTe_2 particles

The potential of bulk-like WTe2 particles for the realization of a passive Q-switch operating at the 1 μm wavelength was investigated. The WTe2 particles were prepared using a simple mechanical exfoliation method together with Scotch tape. By attaching bulk-like WTe2 particles, which remained on the top of the sticky surface of a small segment of the Scotch tape, to the flat side of a side-polished fiber, a saturable absorber（SA） was readily implemented. A strong saturable absorption was then readily obtained through an evanescent field interaction with the WTe2 particles. The modulation depth of the prepared SA was measured as ~2.18% at 1.03 μm. By incorporating the proposed SA into an all-fiberized ytterbium-doped fiber ring cavity, stable Qswitched pulses were readily achieved.

Investigation of nonlinear optical properties of rhenium diselenide and its application as a femtosecond mode-locker

We investigated the nonlinear optical properties of ReSe2. First, we measured the nonlinear absorption coefficient and the nonlinear refractive index of a ReSe2 thin film using open-aperture(OA) and closed-aperture(CA) Z-scan techniques. ReSe2 was shown to possess both saturable absorption and self-defocusing properties. The nonlinear absorption coefficient of ReSe2 was measured to be-5.67-0.35×103 cm^2∕GW, and its nonlinear refractive index was-2.81-0.13×10-2 cm^2∕GW at 1560 nm. Next, a fiberized saturable absorber(SA) based on ReSe2 was fabricated with a side-polished fiber platform and was tested as an ultrafast mode-locker capable of producing femtosecond pulses operating at a wavelength of 1560 nm. The estimated modulation depth and saturation power are 3.9% and 42 W, respectively, for the transverse electric mode, while they are 2.4% and 53 W for the transverse magnetic mode. Using the prepared SA, stable soliton pulses with a temporal width of 862 fs were produced from an erbium-doped fiber ring cavity. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first demonstration of using a ReSe2-based SA for femtosecond mode-locked pulse generation.

All-fiber acousto-optic modulator based on a cladding-etched optical fiber for active mode-locking

An all-fiber acousto-optic modulator(AOM), which features a compact structure and a low-driving voltage, is experimentally demonstrated for the active mode-locking of a fiber laser. The proposed AOM is based on the short length of the cladding-etched fiber, the ends of which are fixed on a slide glass. On top of the cladding-etched fiber, a piezoelectric transducer was overlaid. A chemical wet-etching technique, which is based on a mixed solution of NH_4F and (NH_4)2SO_4, is used to reduce the fiber diameter down to ～25 μm, and the length of the etched section is only 0.5 cm. The fabricated device exhibited a modulation depth of 73.10% at an acoustic frequency of 918.9 kHz and a peak-to-peak electrical voltage of 10 V, while a laser beam was coupled at 1560 nm.By using the prepared AOM within an erbium-doped-fiber ring cavity, the mode-locked pulses with a temporalwidth of 2.66 ps were readily obtained at a repetition rate of 1.838 MHz.