Comprehensive analysis of pure-quartic soliton dynamics in a passively mode-locked fiber laser

The understanding of soliton dynamics promotes the development of ultrafast laser technology. High-energy purequartic solitons(PQSs) have gradually become a hotspot in recent years. Herein, we numerically study the influence of the gain bandwidth, saturation power, small-signal gain, and output coupler on PQS dynamics in passively mode-locked fiber lasers. The results show that the above four parameters can affect PQS dynamics. Pulsating PQSs occur as we alter the other three parameters when the gain bandwidth is 50 nm. Meanwhile, PQSs evolve from pulsating to erupting and then to splitting as the other three parameters are altered when the gain bandwidth is 10 nm, which can be attributed to the existence of the spectral filtering effect and intra-cavity fourth-order dispersion. These findings provide new insights into PQS dynamics in passively mode-locked fiber lasers.

Raman-Assisted Passively Mode-Locked Fiber Laser

We propose and demonstrate a Raman-assisted passively mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser in a normal dispersion regime. A section of highly nonlinear fiber is adopted to enhance the nonlinearity to extend the bandwidth of the gain spectrum by the stimulated Raman effect. The mode-locked fiber laser emits a broad spectral bandwidth of 64 nm at the-20 dB level and a highly stable pulse operation with a signal-to-noise ratio of 77 dB.

Reduced graphene oxide as saturable absorbers for erbium-doped passively mode-locked fiber laser

We demonstrate a nanosecond mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser （EDFL） based on a reduced graphene oxide （RGO） saturable absorber （SA）. The RGO SA is prepared by depositing the graphene oxide （GO） on fluorine mica through thermal reduction of GO. A scanning electron microscope （SEM）, Raman spectrometer, and x-ray photoelectron spec- troscopy （XPS） are adopted to analyze the RGO characteristics. The results show that the reduction degree of graphene oxide is very high. By embedding the RGO SA into the EDFL cavity, a stable mode-locked fiber laser is achieved with a central wavelength of 1567.29 nm and repetition rate of 12.66 MHz. The maximum output power and the minimum pulse duration are measured to be 18.22 mW and 1.38 ns respectively. As far as we know, the maximum output power of 18.22 mW is higher than those of other nanosecond mode-locked oscillators reported. Such a nanosecond pulse duration and megahertz repetition rate make this mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser a suitable seed oscillator for high-power applications and chirped pulse amplifications.

Yb-doped passively mode-locked fiber laser with Bi_2Te_3-deposited

In this study we present an all-normal-dispersion Yb-doped fiber laser passively mode-locked with topological insulator（Bi2Te3） saturable absorber. The saturable absorber device is fabricated by depositing Bi2Te3 on a tapered fiber through using pulsed laser deposition（PLD） technology, which can give rise to less non-saturable losses than most of the solution processing methods. Owing to the long interaction length, Bi2Te3 is not exposed to high optical power, which allows the saturable absorber device to work in a high power regime. The modulation depth of this kind of saturable absorber is measured to be 10%. By combining the saturable absorber device with Yb-doped fiber laser, a mode-locked pulse operating at a repetition rate of 19.8 MHz is achieved. The 3-d B spectral width and pulse duration are measured to be 1.245 nm and317 ps, respectively.

Impacts of operational parameters on nonlinear polarization rotation-based passively mode-locked fiber laser

The operational parameters including the polarization controlling and the pump power in a nonlinear polarization rotation-based passively mode-locked fiber laser are studied in this paper.The carrier rate equations of the activated erbium-doped fiber are first employed together with the nonlinear Shro¨dinger equations to reveal the relation between the operational parameters and the output state of the passively mode-locked fiber laser.The numerical and experimental results demonstrate that the output state of the mode-locked laser varies with the polarization controlling and the pump power.The periodicity of the polarization controlling is observed.With given pump power,there exists a set of polarization controlling under which the ultra-short pulse can be generated.With given polarization controlling,the mode-locked state can be maintained generally except for some particular values of pump power.Three shapes of the output optical spectra from the fiber cavity can be identified when the pump power changes.The results in this paper provide a comprehensive insight into the operation of the nonlinear polarization rotation-based passively mode-locked fiber laser.

Temperature-sensing scheme based on a passively mode-locked fiber laser via beat frequency demodulation

In this paper,we propose a temperature-sensing scheme utilizing a passively mode-locked fiber laser combined with the beat frequency demodulation system.The erbium-doped fiber is used in the laser ring cavity to provide the gain and different lengths of single-mode fibers inserted into the fiber ring cavity operate as the sensing element.Different temperature sensitivities have been acquired in the experiment by monitoring the beat frequency signals at different frequencies.The experimental results indicate that the beat frequency shift has a good linear response to the temperature change.The sensitivity of the proposed sensor is about-44 kHz/℃ when the monitored beat frequency signal is about 10 GHz and the ratio of the sensing fiber to the overall length of the laser cavity is 10 m/17.5 m,while the signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)of the monitored signal is approximately 30 dB.The proposed temperature-sensing scheme enjoys attractive features such as tailorable high sensitivity,good reliability,high SNR,and low cost,and is considered to have great potential in practical sensing applications.

Interaction of a parabolic-shaped pulse pair in a passively mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser

We numerically investigate the formation and interaction of a parabolic-shaped pulse pair in a passively mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser. Based on a lumped model, the parabolic-shaped pulse pair is obtained by controlling the intercavity average dispersion and gain saturation energy, Moreover, pulse repulsive and attractive motion are also achieved with different pulse separations. Simulation results show that the phase shift plays an important role in pulse interaction, and the interaction is determined by the inter-cavity average dispersion and gain saturation energy, i.e., the strength of the interaction is proportional to the gain saturation energy, a stronger gain saturation energy will result in a higher interaction intensity. On the contrary, the increase of the inter-cavity dispersion will counterbalance some interaction force. The results also show that the interaction of a parabolic-shaped pulse pair has a larger interaction distance compared to conventional solitons.

Investigation of ellipticity and pump power in a passively mode-locked fiber laser using the nonlinear polarization rotation technique

An elliptical initial polarization state is essential for generating mode-locked pulses using the nonlinear polarization rotation technique. In this work, the relationship between the ellipticity ranges capable of maintaining mode-locked operation against different pump power levels is investigated. An increasing pump power, in conjunction with minor adjustments to the polarization controller＇s quarter waveplate, results in a wider ellipticity range that can accommodate mode-locked operation. Other parameters such as noise, pulsewidth, and average output power are also observed to vary as the ellipticity changes.

Generation and time jitter of the loose soliton bunch in a passively mode-locked fiber laser

Passively mode-locked fiber lasers （PMLFLs） could be not only used as simple and economic ultrashort pulse sources but also as an ideal platform for exploring the nonlinear dynamics of dissipative solitons such as bound solitons, soliton rains, noise-like pulses, sideband-controllable solitons, soliton resonance,

Generation and evolution of multiple operation states in passively mode-locked thulium-doped fiber laser by using a graphene-covered-microfiber

Using graphene-covered-microfiber （GCM） as a saturable absorber, the generation and evolution of multiple operation states are proposed and demonstrated in passively mode-locked thulium-doped fiber laser. The microfiber was fabricated using the flame brushing method to an interaction length of - 1.2 cm with a waist diameter of -10 μm. Graphene layers were grown on copper foils by chemical vapor deposition and transferred onto the polydimethylsiloxane （PDMS） to form a PDMS/graphene film, which allowed light-graphene interaction via evanescent field. With the increase of the pump power from 1.25 W to 2.15 W, five different lasing regimes, including continuous-wave, conventional soliton mode-locking, multi- soliton mode-locking, a period of transition, and noise-like mode-locking, were achieved in a fiber ring cavity. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first report of the generation and evolution of multiple operation states by covering graphene on the microfiber in the 2-μ.m region. The results demonstrate that GCM can be a promising method for fabricating all fiber SA, and the switchable operation states can provide more portability in complex application domain.

Zinc-oxide/PDMS-clad tapered fiber saturable absorber for passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser

We propose and demonstrate a passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser(EDFL)based on zinc-oxide/polydimethylsiloxane(ZnO/PDMS)saturable absorber(SA)that evanescently interacts with the light on a tapered fiber.The ZnO/PDMS composite is coated on the whole surface of the tapered fiber to guarantee the maximum efficiency of the SA device,with a measured insertion loss of 0.87 dB and a modulation depth of 6.4%.The proposed laser can generate soliton mode-locking operation at a threshold power of 33.07 mW.The generated output pulse yields a repetition rate and pulse width of 9.77 MHz and 1.03 ps,respectively.These results indicate that the proposed ZnO/PDMS-clad tapered fiber could be useful as an efficient,compatible,and low-cost SA device for ultrafast laser applications.

Two-micron all-fiberized passively mode-locked fiber lasers with high-energy nanosecond pulse

We report on mode-locked thulium-doped fiber lasers with high-energy nanosecond pulses,relying on the transmission in a semiconductor saturable absorber(SESA)and a carbon nanotube(CNTs-PVA)film separately.A section of an SMF-MMF-SMF structure multimode interferometer with a transmission peak wavelength of^2003 nm was used as a wavelength selector to fix the laser wavelength.When the SESA acted as a saturable absorber(SA),the mode-locked fiber laser had a maximum output power of^461 mW with a pulse energy of^0.14µJ and a pulse duration of^9.14 ns.In a CNT-film-based mode-locked fiber laser,stable mode-locked pulses with the maximum output power of^46 mW,pulse energy of^26.8 nJ and pulse duration of^9.3 ns were obtained.To the best of our knowledge,our experiments demonstrated the first 2µm region‘real’SA-based dissipative soliton resonance with the highest mode-locked pulse energy from a‘real’SA-based all-fiberized resonator.

Observation of 550 MHz passively harmonic mode-locked pulses at L-band in an Er-doped fiber laser using carbon nanotubes film

We demonstrate a passively harmonic mode-locked（PHML） fiber laser operating at the L-band using carbon nanotubes polyvinyl alcohol（CNTs-PVA） film. Under suitable pump power and an appropriate setting of the polarization controller（PC）, the 54^（th） harmonic pulses at the L-band are generated with the side mode suppression ratio（SMSR） better than 44 dB and a repetition frequency of 503.37 MHz. Further increasing the pump power leads to a higher frequency of 550 MHz with compromised stability of 38.5 dB SMSR. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration on the generation of L-band PHML pulses from an Er-doped fiber laser based on CNTs.

Antimonene-based saturable absorber for a soliton mode-locked and Q-switched fiber laser in the 2 μm wavelength region

We demonstrate antimonene as a saturable absorber(SA) to generate an ultrafast mode-locked and Q-switched laser in the 2 μm wavelength region. The two antimonene-based SAs were prepared and inserted separately in a thulium–holmiumdoped fiber laser to produce the pulsed laser. Antimonene was coated onto a tapered fiber to generate soliton mode-locked pulses and used in thin-film form for the generation of Q-switched pulses. The mode-locking was stable within a pump power of 267 m W–511 m W, and the laser operated at a central wavelength of 1897.4 nm. The mode-locked laser had a pulse width of 1.3 ps and a repetition rate of 12.6 MHz, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 64 d B. Q-switched laser operation was stable at a wavelength of 1890.1 nm within a pump power of 312 m W–381 m W. With the increase in pump power from 312 m W to 381 m W, the repetition rate increased to a maximum of 56.63 k Hz and the pulse width decreased to a minimum value of 2.85 μs. Wide-range tunability of the Q-switched laser was also realized within the wavelength range of1882 nm–1936 nm.

Reflective graphene oxide absorber for passively mode-locked laser operating at nearly 1μm

A low cost and simply fabricated reflective graphene oxide is successfully made. By using this absorber, as well as an end reflector, we obtain a passively mode-locked Yb：LuYSiO5 laser operating at nearly 1 p,m. When the pump power is increased up to 5.73 W, stable mode locking is achieved. The central wavelength of the laser spectrum is 1043.2 nm with a pulse duration of 5.0 ps. When the pump power reaches 8.16 W, dual-wavelength mode locking laser pulses at 1036.3 nm and 1043.5 nm are simultaneously detected.

Passively Mode-Locked Femtosecond Disordered Crystal Laser with Nd:CGA as Gain Medium

We present a laser-diode-pumped passively mode-locked femtosecond disordered crystal laser by using Nd：CaGdAI04 （Nd：CGA） as the gain medium. With a pair of SF6 prisms to control the dispersion compensation, laser pulses as short as 850fs at 1079nm are obtained with a repetition rate of 124.6 MHz. The measured threshold pump power is 1.45 W. A maximum average output power of 122mW is obtained under the pump power of 5.9 W. These results show that Nd：CGA could be a promising laser medium for generating femtosecond ultrashort pulse at about 1 μm.

Diode-Pumped Passively Mode-Locked 1079 nm Nd:CaGdAlO_4 Laser

We demonstrate a diode-pumped passively cw mode-locked Nd：CaGdAlO4 laser operating at 1079nm with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror for the first time to the best of our knowledge. The threshold pump power of the laser is 180mW. A maximum average output power of 93mW is obtained under the pump power of 1.94 W. The pulse duration of the mode-locked pulses is 3.1ps and the repetition rate is 157MHz.

A theoretical and experimental study on all-normal-dispersion Yb-doped mode-locked fiber lasers

We report on a theoretical and experimental study of an all-normal-dispersion （ANDi） Yb-doped mode-locked fiber laser, in which nonlinear polarization rotation （NPR） is used to realize mode-locking without any dispersion compensation. Based on the coupled nonlinear Schr6dinger （CNLS） equation, a model simulating the mode-locked process of an all-normal-dispersion ring fiber laser is developed, which shows that the achievement of stable mode-locking depends on the alignment of the polarization controller （PC） along the fast-polarization axis of the fiber, the birefringence intensity, and the net cavity dispersion. According to the theoretical analysis, stable mode-locked pulses with pulse duration 300 ps and average output power 33.9 mW at repetition rate 36 MHz are obtained.

Mode-Locked Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser Using Vanadium Oxide as Saturable Absorber

A mode-locked erbium doped fiber laser（EDFL） is demonstrated using the vanadium oxide（V2O5） material as a saturable absorber（SA）. The V2O5 based SA is hosted into poly ethylene oxide film and attached on fiber ferule in the laser cavity. It shows 7% modulation depth with 71 MW/cm2 saturation intensity. By incorporating the SA inside the EDFL cavity with managed intra-cavity dispersion, ultrashort soliton pulses are successfully generated with a full width at half maximum of 3.14 ps. The laser operated at central wavelength of 1559.25 nm and repetition frequency of 1 MHz.

Carboxyl graphene oxide solution saturable absorber for femtosecond mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser

The carboxyl-functionalized graphene oxide（GO-COOH） is a kind of unique two-dimensional（2 D） material and possesses excellent nonlinear saturable absorption property and high water-solubility. In this paper, we prepare saturable absorber（SA） device by depositing GO-COOH nanosheets aqueous solution on a D-shaped fiber. The modulation depth（MD） and saturable intensity of the SA are measured to be 9.6% and 19 MW/cm^2, respectively. By inserting the SA into the erbium-doped fiber（EDF） laser, a passively mode-locked EDF laser has been achieved with the spectrum center wavelength of 1562.76 nm. The pulse duration, repetition rate, and the signal-to-noise ratio（SNR） are 500 fs, 14.79 MHz, and 80 dB,respectively. The maximum average output power is measured to be 3.85 mW. These results indicate that the GO-COOH nanosheets SA can be used as a promising mode locker for the generation of ultrashort pulses.