Multiwavelength Actively Mode-locked Fiber Laser with a Double-ring Configuration and Integrated Cascaded Sampled Fiber Bragg Gratings

A modified multiwavelength actively mode-locked fiber ring laser is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. In this kind of laser, stable multiwavelengths lasing is achieved by integrating cascaded sampled fiber Bragg gratings(SFBGs) into the laser cavity. To implement actively mode-locking technique, a double-ring cavity configuration is used to assure that the cavity lengths for all wavelengths lasing are identical. Thus, simultaneous mode locking of all wavelengths has been successfully achieved by using the same mode-locking signal.

An Actively Mode-Locked Ho:YAG Solid-Laser Pumped by a Tm-Doped Fiber Laser

An actively mode-locked Ho： YAG laser pumped by a diode-pumped Tin-doped fiber laser is reported. For the cw operation, we obtain the maximum output power of 3.43 W with a central wavelength 2022.2nm at the maximum incident pump power of 11.4 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 34.5%. The beam quality factor M2 is 1.16, and the output beam is close to fundamental TEMoo. In the case of the CWML operation, a stable pulse train is generated with an average output power up to 3.41 W with a slope efficiency of 34.3% at the incident pump power of 11.4 W and a pulse duration of 294ps at a repetition rate of 81.92MHz. In addition, the maximum single pulse energy is 41.6nJ.

Synchronously Pumped Mode-Locked 1.89 μm Tm-Doped Fiber Laser with High Detuning Toleration

We propose and demonstrate a synchronously pumped mode-locked Tm-doped fiber（TDF） laser without any extra mode-locking elements. Pumped by a 1.56 μm pulse fiber laser, the TDF laser generates 1.17 ps pulses with a spectral width of 9.7 nm and a repetition rate of 9.33 MHz. The emission wavelength is tunable along with the cavity length detuning in a wide range of 3 mm. The high detuning toleration is beneficial to achieve high temperature and vibration stability in all-fiber configuration lasers.

Dual-Wavelength Holmium-Doped Fiber Laser Pumped by Thulium-Ytterbium Co-Doped Fiber Laser

We present an all-fiber dual-wavelength holmium-doped veloped holmium-doped fiber （HDF） as a gain medium fiber laser operating in 2 #m region using a newly de- The proposed fiber laser is constructed by using a hybrid gain medium, i.e., a thulium ytterbium co-doped fiber （TYDF） and an HDF in conjunction with a simple half-opened linear cavity, which is formed by a broadband mirror and an output coupler reflector. Without the HDF, the TYDF laser operates at wavelengths of 1991 and 1999nm with a signal-to-noise ratio of more than 34dB and the slope efficiency of 26.16 %. With the HDF, dual-wavelength output lines are obtained at 2075 and 2083nm with signal-to-noise ratios of more than difference between the two peaks of less than 1 dB at 17dB, 3dB bandwidth of less than 0.2nm and the power the TYDF laser pump power of 320roW.

Theoretical and Numerical Study of Stress and Thermo-Optic in Photonic Crystal Fiber Laser in Different Pump Schemes

In this paper, we present a study of thermal, average power scaling, change in index of refraction and stress in photonic crystal fiber lasers with different pump schemes: forward pump scheme, backward pump scheme, forward pump scheme with reflection of 98%, backward pump scheme with reflection of 98% and bi-directional pump scheme. We show that management of thermal effects in fiber lasers will determine the efficiency and success of scaling-up efforts. In addition, we show that the most suitable scheme is the bi-directional.

The Comparative Study of the Temperature Distribution of Fiber Laser with Different Pump Schemes

Based on the structure of the long fiber laser (YDCFLs) with different pump schemes using high pump power, the nonlinear coupled and heat dissipation equations are solved numerically. Using the finite-difference method, we have determined the temperature distribution along the radial and axial directions of the fiber laser (YDCFLs) for the forward pump schemes of 200 W with reflection Rp2, backward pump schemes of 200 W with reflection Rp1 and for bidirectional pump scheme of 100 W each side. The results are: the temperature distribution for bidirectional pump mode is more even than that for forward pump with reflection Rp2 and than that for backward pump with reflection Rp1. The results show that the maximum temperature difference between different schemes is 57.51°C, and when the air-clad width decreases, the temperature in the core regions also decreases and does not affect to the cladding radius regions. We summarize that the temperature in the core and in cladding radius regions decreases when the outer radius cladding increases.

Advances in femtosecond laser direct writing of fiber Bragg gratings in multicore fibers:technology,sensor and laser applications

In this article,we review recent advances in the technology of writing fiber Bragg gratings(FBGs)in selected cores of multicore fibers(MCFs)by using femtosecond laser pulses.The writing technology of such a key element as the FBG opens up wide opportunities for the creation of next generation fiber lasers and sensors based on MCFs.The advantages of the technology are shown by using the examples of 3D shape sensors,acoustic emission sensors with spatially multiplexed channels,as well as multicore fiber Raman lasers.

Spectral Beam Combining of Fiber Lasers by Using Reflecting Volume Bragg Gratings

By employing three reflecting volume Bragg gratings, a near-infrared 4-channel spectral-beam-combining system is demonstrated to present 720 W combined power with a combining efficiency of 94.7%. The combined laser beam is near-diffraction-limited with a beam factor M^2-1.54. During this 4-channel beam-combining process, no special active cooling measures are used to evaluate the volume Bragg gratings as combining elements are under the higher power laser operation. Thermal expansion and period distortion are verified in a 2 k W 2-channel beam-combining process, and the heat issue in the transmission case is found to be more remarkable than that in the diffraction e-se. Transmitted and diffracted beams experience wave-front aberrations with different degrees, thus leading to distinct beam deterioration.

Monitoring shear deformation of sliding zone via fiber Bragg grating and particle image velocimetry

Monitoring shear deformation of sliding zones is of great significance for understanding the landslide evolution mechanism,in which fiber optic strain sensing has shown great potential.However,the cor-relation between strain measurements of quasi-distributed fiber Bragg grating(FBG)sensing arrays and shear displacements of surrounding soil remains elusive.In this study,a direct shear model test was conducted to simulate the shear deformation of sliding zones,in which the soil internal deformation was captured using FBG strain sensors and the soil surface deformation was measured by particle image velocimetry(PIV).The test results show that there were two main slip surfaces and two secondary ones,developing a spindle-shaped shear band in the soil.The formation of the shear band was successfully captured by FBG sensors.A sinusoidal model was proposed to describe the fiber optic cable deformation behavior.On this basis,the shear displacements and shear band widths were calculated by using strain measurements.This work provides important insight into the deduction of soil shear deformation using soil-embedded FBG strain sensors.

Critical dispersion of chirped fiber Bragg grating for eliminating time delay signature of distributed feedback laser chaos

Optical chaos has attracted widespread attention owing to its complex dynamic behaviors.However,the time delay signature(TDS)caused by the external cavity mode reduces the complexity of optical chaos.We propose and numerically demonstrate the critical dispersion of chirped fiber Bragg grating(CFBG)for eliminating the TDS of laser chaos in this work.The critical dispersion,as a function of relaxation frequency and bandwidth of the optical spectrum,is found through extensive dynamics simulations.It is shown that the TDS can be eliminated when the dispersion of CFBG is above this critical dispersion.In addition,the influence of dispersive feedback light and output light from a laser is investigated.These results provide important quantitative guidance for designing chaotic semiconductor lasers without TDS.

Strain-Insensitive Fiber Bragg Grating Composite Structure for Wide-Range Temperature Sensing

This paper reports on the design,fabrication,and temperature strain sensing performance of a fiber Bragg grating composite structure for surface mounted temperature measurements over a wide temperature range,with highly reduced strain cross-sensitivity.The fiber Bragg grating sensor is encapsulated in a polyimide tube filled with epoxy resin,forming an arc-shaped cavity.This assembly is then placed between two layers of glass fiber prepreg with a flexible pad in between and cured into shape.Experimental results,supported by finite element simulations,demonstrate an enhanced temperature sensitivity is 26.3 pm/°C over a wide temperature range of–30°C to 70°C,and high strain transfer isolation of about 99.65%.

Self-synchronized multi-color Q-switched fiber laser using a parallel-integrated fiber Bragg grating

We demonstrate an intracavity self-synchronized multi-color Q-switched fiber laser using a parallel-integrated fiber Bragg grating(PI-FBG), fabricated by a femtosecond laser with a point-by-point parallel inscription method. The multi-color Q-switched pulses can be always self-synchronized when the group delay differences between neighboring spectra range from-3.4 to 3.4 ps.The starting and evolution dynamics indicate that the saturable absorption effect of the carbon nanotube plays a dual role: synchronously triggering the startup of the pulse at successive colors by active Q-switching and spontaneously compensating to some extent the temporal walk-off of the multi-color pulses through the cross saturable absorption modulation. This work unveils the intracavity self-synchronization mechanism of the multi-color Q-switched pulses and also demonstrates the potential of PI-FBGs for the customizable generation of the synchronized multi-color pulse in a single cavity.

Tandem-pumped 1120-nm actively Q-switched fiber laser

We report on a tandem-pumped actively Q-switched fiber laser system emitting at 1120 nm.Parasitic oscillation is challenging in Yb-doped Q-switched 1120-nm fiber laser,which is suppressed by pumping with a fiber laser at 1018 nm.At least four times improvement in output peak power is demonstrated in a single laser setup with 1018-nm fiber laser pumping instead of 976-nm laser diode pumping.This is,to the best of our knowledge,the first demonstration of a tandem-pumped Q-switched fiber laser.

Design and optimization methods towards a 10 kW high beam quality fiber laser based on the counter tandem pumping scheme

In this study,we investigated the influence of fiber parameters on stimulated Raman scattering(SRS)and identified a unique pattern of SRS evolution in the counter tandem pumping configuration.Our findings revealed that the SRS threshold in counter-pumping is predominantly determined by the length of the output delivery fiber rather than the gain fiber.By employing the counter tandem pumping scheme and optimizing the fiber parameters,a 10 kW fiber laser was achieved with beam quality M^(2)of 1.92.No mode instability or severe SRS limitation was observed.To our knowledge,this study achieved the highest beam quality in over 10 kW fiber lasers based on conventional double-clad Yb-doped fiber.

Numerical study of a bi-directional in-band pumped dysprosium-doped fluoride fiber laser at 3.2μm

Dy^(3+)-doped fluoride fiber lasers have important applications in environment monitoring,real-time sensing,and polymer processing.At present,achieving a high-efficiency and high-power Dy^(3+)-doped fluoride fiber laser in the mid-infrared(mid-IR)region over 3μm is a scientific and technological frontier.Typically,Dy^(3+)-doped fluoride fiber lasers use a unidirectional pumping method,which suffers from the drawback of high thermal loading density on the fiber tips,thus limiting power scalability.In this study,a bi-directional in-band pumping scheme,to address the limitations of output power scaling and to enhance the efficiency of the Dy^(3+)-doped fluoride fiber laser at 3.2μm,is investigated numerically based on rate equations and propagation equations.Detailed simulation results reveal that the optical‒optical efficiency of the bi-directional in-band pumped Dy^(3+)-doped fluoride fiber laser can reach 75.1%,approaching the Stokes limit of 87.3%.The potential for further improvement of the efficiency of the Dy^(3+)-doped fluoride fiber laser is also discussed.The bi-directional pumping scheme offers the intrinsic advantage of mitigating the thermal load on the fiber tips,unlike unidirectional pumping,in addition to its high efficiency.As a result,it is expected to significantly scale the power output of Dy^(3+)-doped fluoride fiber lasers in the mid-IR regime.

Measurement of Temperature and Residual Strain during Fatigue of a CFRP Composite Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

Fatigue behaviour has important implications for engineering composite structures in sectors ranging from automotive to aerospace. Optical sensing technology displays excellent performance in these fields for monitoring. In this paper, temperature and residual strain during fatigue of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer（CFRP） are investigated. Four autoclaved CFRP beam specimens, with fiber Bragg grating（FBG） sensors and thermocouples embedded at selected locations, are subjected to three-point bending cyclic loading on the BOSE testing machine for fatigue testing. Thennocouples are used to measure the temperature while FBGs can sense the temperature and strain as well. Seven tests in total are conducted at different frequencies, and each test lasts for several days. From the experimental results, transient steep peaks of temperature increases （up to 2.3℃） are discovered at the beginning of the load. The following constant temperature increments are around 1.0℃, which is not relevant to frequencies from 0.1 Hz to 20 Hz and suspected due to fatigue. Residual strains of 1×10^-5-2×10^-5 during fatigue, fading away rapidly when unloading, are also reported. Embedded FBGs here are validated to sense temperature and strains in composite structures, which demonstrates promising potentials in structure monitoring fields. CFRP are verified to have an excellent performance during fatigue with low temperature increase and residual strain.

Cascaded tilted fiber Bragg grating for enhanced refractive index sensing

We proposed and experimentally demonstrated a cascaded tilted fiber Bragg grating(TFBG)for enhanced refractive index sensing.The TFBG is UV-inscribed in series in ordinary single-mode fiber(SMF)and reduced-diameter SMF with the same tilt angle,and then excites two sets of superposed spectral combs of cladding modes.The cascaded TFBG with total length of 18 mm has a much wider wavelength range over 100 nm and narrower wavelength separation than that of a TFBG only in the SMF,enabling an enlarged range and a higher accuracy of refractive index measurement.The fabricated TFBG with the merits of enhanced sensing capability and temperature self-calibration presents great potentials in the biochemical sensing applications.

Fabrication of arbitrarily apodized fiber Bragg gratings with narrow bandwidth

A double-exposure fabrication method without any intensity shadow mask to fabricate arbitrarily apodized fiber Bragg gratings（ FBGs） with narrow bandwidth is demonstrated by controlling the total ultra violet （UV） irradiation along the grating by varying the speed of a translation stage. The UV source used is a stable continuous intracavity frequency-doubled argonion laser. The parameters （such as length, apodization profile, average index change）of FBGs can be easily changed with this method. The total UV irradiation is kept constant in the doubleexposure process because of the precise control of the exposure time, which ensures that the apodized FBG＇s bandwidth can be extremely narrow. The full width at half maximum （FWHM） bandwidth of the 2-cm-long apodized FBG fabricated by this method is 0. 15 nm with a maximum reflectivity of more than 95%.

Code synchronization based on lumped time-delay compensation scheme with a linearly chirped fiber Bragg grating in all-optical analog-to-digital conversion

We propose a novel lumped time-delay compensation scheme for all-optical analog-to-digital conversion based on soliton self-frequency shift and optical interconnection techniques. A linearly chirped fiber Bragg grating is optimally designed and used to compensate for the entire time-delays of the quantized pulses precisely. Simulation results show that the compensated coding pulses are well synchronized with a time difference less than 3.3 ps, which can support a maximum sampling rate of 151.52 GSa/s. The proposed scheme can efficiently reduce the structure complexity and cost of all-optical analog-to-digital conversion compared to the previous schemes with multiple optical time-delay lines.

Tunable Super-Structured Fiber Bragg Gratings with Perfect Sequences Based on m-Sequence

Recently, a tunable fiber Bragg grating(FBG) was developed by using stress-responsive colloidal crystals. In this paper, we have simulated the application of these nanoparticles into the super-structured fiber Bragg grating(SSFBG) written with perfect sequences derived from a short maximal-length sequence. A tunable SSFBG will be available to overcome the prohibitive temperature variation of the optical codecs. Nevertheless,we presented a method to implement coherent time spreading optical code-division multiple-access(OCDMA) where a unique code(or perfect sequence) can be reused and mixed with different wavelengths to obtain a tunable wavelength-division multiplexing(WDM)system. In order to maximize the binary throughput, we have selected a unique short maximal-length sequence composed of 7 chips that can be tuned with 7 different optical wavelengths. We found thousands of different tunable combinations that presented power contrast ratios(P/C) higher than 12 dB. When a WDM-OCDMA system used 2 different combinations simultaneously, the perfect binary detection with error correction codes was achieved successfully. The tunable SSFBG with colloidal crystals will be a simple and good alternative choice for fiber-to-the-home(FTTH) communications.