High-repetition-rate, 1011.5–1091.6 nm consecutively tunable mode-locked picosecond Yb: Fiber laser

Abstract

We demonstrate a widely wavelength tunable high-repetition-rate mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser, which implements a SESAM mode-locker and a tunable single grating filter. Different tuning approaches are investigated including tuning the mirror and angle of incidence of the filter, as well as changing the pump power. The maximum consecutive tuning range of the laser reaches 80.1 nm, from 1011.5 to 1091.6 nm at fundamental repetition rates varying from 576 to 578 MHz. To the best of our knowledge, this is the widest consecutive tuning range in the 1-μm region at a repetition rate above 100 MHz. Simultaneously, the pulse width varies from 3.1 to 6.8 ps with Gaussian profile assumed in the whole tuning range. The proposed widely tunable high-repetition-rate picosecond fiber laser would be a useful source for various applications in need of wavelength selective operation and high acquisition speed.