Wavelength-Tunable Single Frequency Ytterbium-Doped Fiber Laser with Loop Mirror Filter

By using a loop mirror filter, a novel wavelength-tunable single-frequency ytterbium-doped fiber laser is developed to select single longitudinal modes in a linear cavity. The output wavelength could be tuned 2.4 nm intervals range from 1063.3 to 1065.Tnrn with the temperature change of the fiber Bragg grating. The maximum output power could reach 32 m W while the pump power increases to 120 m W. The corresponding optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is 26.7% and the slope efficiency is 33.9%, respectively. The output power fluctuation is below 2%, and its highest signal-to-noise ratio is 60 dB.

Q-Switched Ytterbium-Doped Fiber Laser Using Black Phosphorus as Saturable Absorber

We demonstrate a Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser （YDFL） using a newly developed multi-layer black phosphorous （BP） saturable absorber （SA）. The BP SA is prepared by mechanically exfoliating a BP crystal and sticking the acquired BP flakes onto a scotch tape. A small piece of the tape is then placed between two ferrules and incorporated in a YDFL cavity to achieve a stable Q-switched operation in a 1.0 μm region. The laser has a pump threshold of 55.1 mW, a pulse repetition rate that is tunable from 8.2 to 32.9 kHz, and the narrowest pulse width of 10.8 μs. The highest pulse energy of 328 nJ is achieved at the pump power of 97.6 mW. Our results show that multi-layer BP is a promising SA for Q-switching laser operation.

Dual-Wavelength Passively Q-Switched Ytterbium-Doped Fiber Laser Based on Aluminum Oxide Nanoparticle Saturable Absorbers

We report on generation of a dual-wavelength, all-fiber, passively Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser using aluminum oxide nanoparticle （Al2O3-NP） thin film. A thin film of Al2O3 was prepared by embedding Al2O3-NPs into a polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） as a host polymer, and then inserted between two fiber ferrules to act as a saturable absorber （SA）. By incorporating the Al2O3-PVA SA into the laser cavity, a stable dual-wavelength pulse output centered at 1050 and 1060.7nm is observed at threshold pump power of 80mW. As the pump power is gradually increased from 80 to 300mW, the repetition rate of the generated pulse increases from 16.23 to 59 kHz, while the pulse width decreases from 19 to 6μs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration for this type of SA operating in the 1 μm region.

Low-Threshold Broadband Spectrum Generation by Amplification of Cascaded Stimulated Raman Scattering in an Ytterbium-Doped Fiber Amplifier

We present an experimental study on low-threshold broadband spectrum generation mainly due to the amplirfication of the cascaded stimulated Raman scattering （SRS） effect in a four-stage fiber master oscillator power amplifier system. The cascaded SRS is achieved by using a long passive fiber pumped by a pulsed fiber laser cen： tered at wavelength 1064 nm. The amplified spontaneous emission during the amplification process is efficiently suppressed by cutting the length of the passive fiber and by using a double-clad ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier. The generated broadband spectrum spans from 960nm to 1700nm with maximum average output 13.6 W and average spectral power density approximately 17. 7 mW/nm.

Nonlinear polarization rotation-induced pulse shaping in a stretched-pulse ytterbium-doped fiber laser

We report on controllable pulse shaping in a Yb-doped stretched-pulse fiber laser followed by a high-power chirped pulse amplifier. We demonstrate that the pulses after an extra-cavity grating pair change their intensity profile from Lorentz to Gaussian and then to sech2 shapes by adjusting the intra-cavity polarization through a quarter-wave plate inside the fiber laser cavity. The laser pulses with different pulse shapes exhibit pulse-to-pulse amplitude fluctuation of -- 1.02%, while the sech2-shaped pulse train is provided with a more stable free-running repetition rate as a result of the stronger self-phase modulation in the fiber laser cavity than Lorentz- and Gaussian-shaped pulse trains.

Novel constant-cladding tapered-core ytterbium-doped fiber for high-power fiber laser oscillator

Power scaling based on traditional ytterbium-doped fibers(YDFs)is limited by optical nonlinear effects and transverse mode instability(TMI)in high-power fiber lasers.Here,we propose a novel long tapered fiber with a constant cladding and tapered core(CCTC)along its axis direction.The tapered-core region of the fiber is designed to enhance the stimulated Raman scattering(SRS)threshold and suppress higher-order mode resonance in the laser cavity.The CCTC YDF was fabricated successfully with a modified chemical vapor deposition(MCVD)method combined with solution doping technology,which has a cladding diameter of 400µm and a varying core with a diameter of~24μm at both ends and~31μm in the middle.To test the performance of the CCTC fiber during high-power operation,an all-fiber laser oscillator based on a CCTC YDF was investigated experimentally.As a result,a maximum output power of 3.42 kW was achieved with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 55.2%,although the TMI effect was observed at an output power of~3.12 kW.The measured beam quality(M^(2)factor)was~1.7,and no sign of the Raman component was observed in the spectrum.We believe that CCTC YDF has great potential to simultaneously mitigate the SRS and TMI effects,and further power scaling is promising by optimizing the structure of the YDF.

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.

Tunable passively Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser with mechanically exfoliated GaSe saturable absorber

A tunable passively Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser using few-layer gallium selenide（GaSe） as a saturable absorber（SA） is demonstrated.The few-layer GaSe SA,which is fabricated by the mechanical exfoliation method,is able to generate a Q-switched fiber laser that has a maximum repetition rate of 92.6 kHz and a minimum pulsed width of 2.3 μs.The highest pulse energy exhibited by the generated pulse is 18.8 nJ with a signal to noise ratio of ~40 dB.The tunability of the proposed laser covers from 1042 to 1082 nm,giving a tuning range of 40 nm.

Mode-locked ytterbium-doped fiber laser with zinc phthalocyanine thin film saturable absorber

A stable mode-locked laser was demonstrated using a newly developed zinc phthalocyanine(ZnPc)thin film as passive saturable absorber(SA)in ytterbium-doped fiber laser(YDFL).The ZnPc thin film was obtained using a casting method and then inserted between the two fiber ferrules of a YDFL ring cavity to generate mode-locked pulses.The resulting pulsed laser operated at a wavelength of 1034.5 nm having a repetition rate of 3.3 MHz.At pump power of 277 mW,the maximum output power and pulse energy are achieved at 4.92 mW and 1.36 nJ,respectively.ZnPc has a high chemical and photochemical stability,and its significance for use as a potential SA in a mode-locked laser is reported in this work.

A kW Continuous-Wave Ytterbium-Doped All-Fiber Laser Oscillator with Domestic Fiber Components and Gain Fiber

We demonstrate a kW continuous-wave ytterbium-doped all-fiber laser oscillator with M1 domestic fiber compo- nents： a 7× I fused fiber bundle combiner, a fiber Bragg grating and a double-clad gain fiber. The oscillator operates at 1079.48nrn with 80.94% slope efficiency and shows no limit of temperature and nonlinear effects. These indicate that the passive fiber components and the gain fiber are all qualified for the high power environ- ment. No evidence of the signal power roll-over shows that this oscillator possesses the capacity to higher output with available pump power.

Double-pass ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier with high gain coefficient and low noise figure

We have proposed and demonstrated a double-pass ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier using an optical circulator and a fiber Bragg grating as reflector. When the signal has passed through the ytterbium-doped fiber once, it reflects off a 0.2-nm passive fiber Bragg grating filter. This reduces amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise from the first pass. The input signal light is amplified both forward and backward through ytterbium-doped fiber. With this double-pass configuration, 1053.15-nm unsaturated signal gain of 28 dB, gain coefficient of 1.1 dB/mW, and noise figure of less than 4 dB are achieved at 977-nm pump power of 68 mW. It is also found that this double-pass configure provides enhancing gain coefficient and improving noise figure by comparison with single-pass configuration.

All-fiber,high power single-frequency linearly polarized ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier

We report an all-fiber high power,single frequency large-mode area （LMA） linearly polarized ytterbiumdoped fiber amplifiers （YDFA） module,which is based on the master oscillator multi-stage power amplifiers （MOPA）.The maximum output power is 43.8 W at a wavelength of 1064 nm when 60-W launched pump light is coupled,with high slope efficiency of 88%,polarization extinction rate （PER） 17.2 dB and nearly diffraction-limited beam quality （M 2 1.1）.

High-Power Raman Soliton Generation at 1.7 μm in All-Fiber Polarization-Maintaining Erbium-Doped Amplifier

An all-fiber polarization maintaining high-power laser system operating at 1.7 μm based on the Ramaninduced soliton self-frequency shifting effect is demonstrated. The entirely fiberized system is built by erbiumdoped oscillator and two-stage amplifiers with polarization maintaining commercial silica fibers and devices, which can provide robust and stable soliton generation. High-power soliton laser with the average power of 0.28 W,the repetition rate of 42.7 MHz, and pulse duration of 515 fs is generated directly from the main amplifier.Our experiment provides a feasible method for high-power all-fiber polarization maintaining femtosecond laser generation working at 1.7 μm.

Optical Nonlinearity of Violet Phosphorus and Applications in Fiber Lasers

A D-shaped fiber is coated with a new two-dimensional nanomaterial,violet phosphorus(VP),to create a saturable absorber(SA)with a modulation depth of 3.68%.Subsequently,the SA is inserted into a fiber laser,enabling successful generation of dark solitons and bright–dark soliton pairs through adjustment of the polarization state within the cavity.Through further study,mode-locked pulses are achieved,proving the existence of polarization-locked vector solitons.The results indicate that VP can be used as a polarization-independent SA.

Time Transfer in a 1839-km Telecommunication Fiber Link Demonstrating a Picosecond-Scale Stability

An implementation of high-precision time transfer over a 1839-km field fiber loop back link between two provincial capitals of China,Xi’an and Taiyuan,is reported.Time transfer stabilities of 6.5 ps at averaging time of 1 s and 4.6 ps at 40000 s were achieved.The uncertainty for the time transfer system was evaluated,showing a budget of 56.2 ps.These results stand for a significant milestone in achieving high-precision time transfer over a field fiber link spanning thousands of kilometers,signifying a record-breaking achievement for the real-field time transfer in both stability and distance,which paves the way for constructing the nationwide high-precision time service via fiber network.

On the generation of high-quality Nyquist pulses in mode-locked fiber lasers

Nyquist pulses have wide applications in many areas,from electronics to optics.Mode-locked lasers are ideal platforms to generate such pulses.However,how to generate high-quality Nyquist pulses in mode-locked lasers remains elusive.We address this problem by managing different physical effects in mode-locked fiber lasers through extensive numerical simulations.We find that net dispersion,linear loss,gain and filter shaping can affect the quality of Nyquist pulses significantly.We also demonstrate that Nyquist pulses experience similariton shaping due to the nonlinear attractor effect in the gain medium.Our work may contribute to the design of Nyquist pulse sources and enrich the understanding of pulse shaping dynamics in mode-locked lasers.

Giving Food a Fiber Boost: Adding High Beta-Glucan Ingredient from Barley to Everyday Foods

Lack of dietary fiber contributes to many health issues, particularly chronic vascular diseases. Mixed linkage β-1.3 - 1.4 beta-glucan (beta-glucan, in this paper) is a confirmed beneficial ingredient for the human diet through reduction of cholesterol and the glycemic index. Barley contains the highest beta-glucan content of all the grains, and in this study, a percentage of flour from two high beta glucan lines was, each, added to an array of wheat-based food products to measure how it impacted total dietary fiber. Results showed that beta-glucan content was higher in all the products containing the added high beta-glucan flour, along with increased total dietary fiber content. Protein content in the food products is also increased with the higher protein in the barley flours added. Beta-glucan content in the barley-added products increased to 1.2% - 4.0% versus 0.2% - 0.5% in the pure wheat products, while the dietary fibers increased to 3.5% - 24.4% versus 2.1% - 9.1% in pure wheat product controls. This research provided experimental evidence that using a high beta-glucan barley ingredient in food can increase dietary fiber to benefit health.

Increasing dietary fiber intake for type 2 diabetes mellitus management: A systematic review

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes is a chronic,non-communicable disease with a substantial global impact,affecting a significant number of individuals.Its etiology is closely tied to imbalanced dietary practices and sedentary lifestyles.Conversely,increasing die-tary fiber(DF)intake has consistently demonstrated health benefits in numerous studies,including improvements in glycemic control and weight management.AIM To investigate the efficacy of DF interventions in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).METHODS A systematic literature review was conducted to explore the association between DF intake and the management of T2DM.Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria,a total of 26 studies were included in this review.RESULTS The main strategies implied to increased DF intake were:High DF diet plus acarbose(2 studies);DF supplements(14 studies);and high DF diets(10 studies).Overall,most studies indicated that increased DF intake resulted in im-provements in glycemic control and weight management in T2DM patients.CONCLUSION DF represents a valuable strategy in the treatment of type 2 diabetes,improving health outcomes.DF intake offers the potential to improve quality of life and reduce complications and mortality associated with diabetes.Likewise,through supplements or enriched foods,DF contributes significantly to the control of several markers such as HbA1c,blood glucose,triglycerides,low-density lipoprotein,and body weight.

Estimation of cancer cell migration in biomimetic random/oriented collagen fiber microenvironments

Increasing data indicate that cancer cell migration is regulated by extracellular matrixes and their surrounding biochemical microenvironment,playing a crucial role in pathological processes such as tumor invasion and metastasis.However,conventional two-dimensional cell culture and animal models have limitations in studying the influence of tumor microenvironment on cancer cell migration.Fortunately,the further development of microfluidic technology has provided solutions for the study of such questions.We utilize microfluidic chip to build a random collagen fiber microenvironment(RFM)model and an oriented collagen fiber microenvironment(OFM)model that resemble early stage and late stage breast cancer microenvironments,respectively.By combining cell culture,biochemical concentration gradient construction,and microscopic imaging techniques,we investigate the impact of different collagen fiber biochemical microenvironments on the migration of breast cancer MDA-MB-231-RFP cells.The results show that MDA-MB-231-RFP cells migrate further in the OFM model compared to the RFM model,with significant differences observed.Furthermore,we establish concentration gradients of the anticancer drug paclitaxel in both the RFM and OFM models and find that paclitaxel significantly inhibits the migration of MDA-MB-231-RFP cells in the RFM model,with stronger inhibition on the high concentration side compared to the low concentration side.However,the inhibitory effect of paclitaxel on the migration of MDA-MB-231-RFP cells in the OFM model is weak.These findings suggest that the oriented collagen fiber microenvironment resembling the late-stage tumor microenvironment is more favorable for cancer cell migration and that the effectiveness of anticancer drugs is diminished.The RFM and OFM models constructed in this study not only provide a platform for studying the mechanism of cancer development,but also serve as a tool for the initial measurement of drug screening.

Development of a scintillating-fiber-based beam monitor for the coherent muon-to-electron transition experiment

The coherent muon-to-electron transition(COMET)experiment is a leading experiment for the coherent conversion of μ^(-)N→e^(-)N using a high-intensity pulsed muon beamline,produced using innovative slow-extraction techniques.Therefore,it is critical to measure the muon beam characteristics.We set up a muon beam monitor(MBM),where scintillating fibers woven in a cross shape were coupled to silicon photomultipliers to measure the spatial profile and timing structure of the extracted muon beam for the COMET.The MBM detector was tested successfully with a proton beamline at the China Spallation Neutron Source and took data with good performance in the commissioning run.The development of the MBM,including its mechanical structure,electronic readout,and beam measurement results,are discussed.