Effect of Spontaneous and Carrier Noise on Mode-Locked Hybrid Soliton Pulse Source

Abstract

Noise characteristics of mode-locked hybrid soliton pulse source (HSPS) where fiber Bragg grating is used as external cavity is presented. Model is based on time-domain solution of coupled-mode equations including spontaneous noise. Relative intensity noise (RIN) is calculated by using numerical solution of these equations. It is shown that inclusion of carrier density noise in the rate equations is necessary for the accurate analysis of noise in mode-locked lasers. It is also found that transform-limited pulses are not generated over a wide tuning range around the fundamental mode-locking frequency with spontaneous and carrier density noise sources if noise level is high. Therefore mode-locking range where transform limited pulses are obtained reduces.