Abstract
Physics phenomena of multipulse compounds have enriched the life of ultrashort pulses beyond traditional pulse singlets in passively mode-locked fiber lasers. By developing a near zero-dispersion fiber laser, we report on the generation of dispersion-managed soliton (DMS) molecules. During propagation in the laser cavity, the broadband DMSs experience a breathing process (i.e., periodic compression and stretch of the pulse width), which facilitates various molecule evolutions from pulse singlets. In particular, tightly bound DMS pairs, loosely bound DMS pairs and three-pulse to eleven-pulse molecules are respectively observed. Apart from the aforementioned DMS molecules with equal pulse separations, unequally spaced DMS molecules with different multipulse structures are also obtained, typically including the (2 + 1)-type molecule and the (2 + 3 + 1)-type molecule. The investigation of DMS molecules characterized by versatile multipulse structures is of both fundamental scientific interests in soliton dynamics and potential applications of ultrahigh-capacity optics communications based on advanced modulation formats.
Highlights
Mode-locked fiber lasers have attracted intensive research for implementing considerable applications in fiber communications, material processing and all-optical sampling, as well as serving as an ideal playground for the exploration of complex pulse dynamics [1]–[3]
We develop a dispersion-managed fiber laser mode-locked by the nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) technique
The radio frequency (RF) spectrum is analyzed by an electrical spectrum analyzer (ESA, Agilent N9320B), and the pulse width is measured by a commercial autocorrelator (Femtochrome FR-103XL)
Summary
Mode-locked fiber lasers have attracted intensive research for implementing considerable applications in fiber communications, material processing and all-optical sampling, as well as serving as an ideal playground for the exploration of complex pulse dynamics [1]–[3]. The limitation of soliton singlets inspires an extended investigation of soliton compounds which are characterized by multi-pulse structures They have been manifested in both time domain and. Stemming from the interaction of repulsive and attractive forces in time domain, these particlelike soliton singlets can be bound together to form a kind of soliton compound, namely the aforementioned bound state. All these behaviors induced by the multi-pulse structure make it akin to ‘molecule’ [12]–[14]. Numerical simulations are implemented to confirm the pulse distributions of the molecules in time domain All these observations will enrich the life of multi-pulse compounds and extend more potential applications
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