Numerical studies of the operating regimes of a passively mode-locked Thulium doped fiber laser

Abstract

The design of a stable and reliable passively mode-locked laser cavity with Thulium doped fiber is a challenge especially due to its large saturation power owing to a shorter metastable lifetime. In this work, we investigate the influence of various cavity parameters on the stable mode-locked operation of a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) based passively mode-locked Thulium doped fiber laser through numerical modelling. Specifically, we present a detailed study on the effect of the repetition rate, modulation depth, saturation fluence, and damage threshold of the saturable absorber, quality factor of the laser cavity, bandwidth of the passive reflector, and gain medium characteristics on stable operation of a passively mode-locked fiber laser. Experimental results are also presented to validate the key aspects of the simulation.