Observation of pulsating dissipative solitons in a Mamyshev oscillator

Abstract

Mode-locked fiber lasers provide a versatile playground to study dissipative soliton (DS) dynamics. The corresponding studies not only give insights into soliton dynamics in dissipative systems, but also contribute to femtosecond fiber laser design. Recently, Mamyshev oscillators (MOs), which rely upon a pair of narrow filters with offset passing frequencies, have emerged as a promising candidate for high power, ultrabroad bandwidth pulse generation. To date, only stable mode-locking states in MOs have been reported. Here, we present a comprehensive experimental and numerical investigation of pulsating DSs in an ytterbium MO. By reducing the filter separation down to 4 nm, we observe pulsation in a single pulse state as well as a soliton molecule state. In the single pulse state, the output pulse energy can vary as large as 40 times in our MO. Single-shot spectra measured by the dispersive Fourier transform (DFT) method reveal the spectral bandwidth breathing during pulsation and enables the observation of soliton explosion in a pulsation state. In addition, pulsation with a period lasting 9 round trips and even a chaotic pulsation state are also observed. Numerical simulations based on a lumped model qualitatively agree with our observation. Our results enrich DS dynamics in MOs and show the impact of filter separation on the stability of MOs.