Tunable multiwavelength Brillouin–Erbium fiber laser by controlling self-lasing cavity modes’ oscillation

Abstract

A novel and simple tunable multiwavelength Brillouin–Erbium fiber laser (BEFL) by controlling self-lasing cavity modes’ oscillation is demonstrated. With a variable optical attenuator (VOA) effectively optimizing the shape of the gain spectrum of the BEFL, the self-lasing cavity modes’ oscillation can be tuned in a large wavelength range, which can be used to enlarge the tunable multiwavelength range of the BEFL. A passive Erbium-doped fiber (EDF) gain section inserted in the BEFL cavity can help to further enlarge the tunable multiwavelength range of the BEFL and effectively suppress the cavity modes’ competition. With an EDF pump power of 50 mW and a Brillouin pump power of 1.2 mW, a tunable cavity modes’ oscillation range of 19.4 nm and a tunable multiwavelength range of 23 nm are obtained.