Sub-kHz-Linewidth Wavelength-Tunable Single-Frequency Ring-Cavity Fiber Laser for C- and L-Band Operation

Abstract

In this paper, a sub-kHz-linewidth wavelength-tunable single-frequency ring-cavity fiber laser operating in C- and L-band is demonstrated experimentally. In our design, a single-longitudinal mode is achieved in a wide tuning range by a narrow-band filtering device composed of a fiber Fabry-Pérot interferometer and a 1.6-m-long un-pumped Er <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3+</sup> -doped fiber as a dynamic grating. Under the control of a fiber Fabry-Pérot tunable filter, a wavelength tuning range of 76.69 nm from 1535.50 to 1612.19 nm with a tuning interval of about 0.2 nm is finally achieved. In the entire tuning range of the fiber laser, the laser linewidth is less than 310 Hz. The measured optical signal-to-noise ratio is over 40 dB and the relative intensity noise is lower than -143 dB/Hz at frequencies above 1 MHz. Our results suggest that such fiber laser with narrow-linewidth and superior wavelength tunability can serve as a promising candidate applied in optical communication system.