Generation of wavelength-tunable and coherent dual-wavelength solitons in the C + L band by controlling the intracavity loss

Abstract

A wavelength-tunable and dual-wavelength mode-locking operation is achieved in an Er-doped fiber laser using a hybrid no-core fiber graded index multimode fiber as the saturable absorber. In the tuning operation, continuously wavelength-tunable pulses with a tuning range of 46.7 nm, stable 3-dB bandwidth of around 5 nm, and pulse duration of ∼850 fs are obtained by increasing the intracavity loss of a variable optical attenuator. In the dual-wavelength operation, the two solitons at different wavelengths demonstrate the characteristics of mutual coherence. By increasing the intracavity loss, the spectral spacing can be tuned from 11 to 33.01 nm while maintaining the coherence of the solitons. Such coherent solitons have high potential for applications in dual-comb frequency and multicolor pulses in nonlinear microscopy.