Mode-locked Figure-eight Fiber Laser Research Articles

Simultaneous temporal and spectral analysis of noise-like pulses in a mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser.

We present an experimental study of complex noise-like pulse dynamics in a passively mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser, by performing simultaneous temporal and spectral mapping of the waveform sequences. The simultaneous measurements allow us to relate temporal and spectral events. We found in particular that the evolution of energy and of temporal features such as the number and width of the wave packets is correlated to spectral variations, namely of the central wavelength and bandwidth of the instantaneous spectrum. The simultaneous temporal and spectral measurements also allowed a substantial improvement in the precision of the latter, which was performed using the dispersive Fourier transform method. In particular, this enhanced precision allowed measuring the subtle spectral differences between the two laser outputs and tracking their evolution over the cycles, providing crucial information that allowed to determine the physical phenomena involved in the observed dynamics.

All-polarization-maintaining figure-eight Er-fiber ultrafast laser with a bidirectional output coupler in the loss-imbalanced nonlinear optical loop mirror

In this Letter, we report on a novel architecture for a self-starting mode-locked figure-eight erbium-doped fiber laser using a loss-imbalanced nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) with a bidirectional output coupler. An all-polarization-maintaining structure is adopted. A 2 × 2 optical coupler with a splitting ratio of 50:50 is used at the junction to form an NOLM. Another coupler with a splitting ratio of 10:90 is introduced at one end of the fiber loop. The 10:90 coupler plays two roles: power attenuator and bidirectional output coupler. This architecture can achieve both large modulation depth and good self-starting ability simultaneously. With this architecture, the self-starting mode-locking operation is achieved easily with pump power above the threshold. The clockwise and counter-clockwise mode-locked output powers are 10.1 and 10.3 mW, respectively, with the repetition rate of 3.63 MHz. The spectral bandwidths of the clockwise and counter-clockwise mode-locked output pulses are 7.4 and 2.9 nm, and the corresponding pulse widths of the direct outputs are 530.6 fs and 1.55 ps, respectively.

Passively Mode-Locked Figure-Eight Fiber Laser Using a Compact Power-Imbalanced Nonlinear Optical-Loop Mirror

We present an experimental demonstration of a passively mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser (F8L) based on a power-imbalanced nonlinear optical loop-mirror (PI-NOLM) comprising a section of 25 m long high-nonlinear fiber (HNLF) and a tunable attenuator (ATT). The asymmetric power, which results in different nonlinear phase shifts on the clockwise (CW) and counter-clockwise (CCW) directions, is achieved using an ATT. We greatly reduce the length of the nonlinear cavity, which can effectively diminish the interference from external environment. A balanced optical coupler (OC) and an ATT act as a tunable OC. So, a stable mode-locked pulse train with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of ∼571 fs and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of ∼60 dB is obtained.

Generation of Multiwavelength Noise-Like Square-Pulses in a Fiber Laser

The generation of multiwavelength square pulses is demonstrated in a passively mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser. The multiwavelength square pulses were found to be structured by superposing the square pulses centered at different wavelengths, whose pulse duration broadens with the increasing pump power. The square pulse was confirmed as the noise-like pulse by using an autocorrelator. By properly rotating the PCs, the dual- or triple-wavelength square pulse could be achieved. The obtained results provide a new viewpoint for understanding the formation mechanism of the multiwavelength pulses with noise-like square profiles in fiber lasers.

Vector nature of multi-soliton patterns in a passively mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser.

The vector nature of multi-soliton dynamic patterns was investigated in a passively mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser based on the nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM). By properly adjusting the cavity parameters such as the pump power level and intra-cavity polarization controllers (PCs), in addition to the fundamental vector soliton, various vector multi-soliton regimes were observed, such as the random static distribution of vector multiple solitons, vector soliton cluster, vector soliton flow, and the state of vector multiple solitons occupying the whole cavity. Both the polarization-locked vector solitons (PLVSs) and the polarization-rotating vector solitons (PRVSs) were observed for fundamental soliton and each type of multi-soliton patterns. The obtained results further reveal the fundamental physics of multi-soliton patterns and demonstrate that the figure-eight fiber lasers are indeed a good platform for investigating the vector nature of different soliton types.

High-energy noiselike rectangular pulse in a passively mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser

We report on the generation of a high-energy noiselike rectangular pulse in a mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser. The noiselike pulse appeared to have a rectangular shape on the oscilloscope. The pulse duration increased with increasing pump power, while the peak amplitude remained constant, which is very similar to the pulse evolution of dissipative soliton resonance. However, the pulse type is confirmed as a noiselike pulse using an autocorrelator. With the maximum pump power of 350 mW, the 135 nJ noiselike rectangular pulse with 76 ns duration was achieved. The results provide a new guideline for clarifying an alternative formation mechanism of the high-energy rectangular pulses in fiber lasers.

Dissipative soliton resonance in a passively mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser

The generation of mode-locked rectangular pulses operating in dissipative soliton resonance (DSR) region is demonstrated in an erbium-doped figure-eight fiber laser with net anomalous dispersion. The duration of the wave-breaking-free rectangular pulse broadens with the increase of pump power. At a maximum pump power of 341 mW, the pulse energy can be up to 3.25 nJ with a repetition rate of 3.54 MHz. Particularly, the spectrum of rectangular pulse operating in DSR exhibits conventional soliton sidebands. The observed results show that the formation of pulse operating in DSR region is independent of mode-locking techniques, which may be helpful for further understanding the DSR phenomenon.

Observation of dual-wavelength dissipative solitons in a figure-eight erbium-doped fiber laser

We report on the generation of dual-wavelength dissipative solitons (DSs) in a passively mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser operating in the net-normal dispersion regime. DSs with central wavelengths of 1572 and 1587 nm can be achieved simultaneously or respectively. The dual-wavelength DSs, traveling at different round-trip time, exhibit double-rectangular spectral profile. The intensities of two mode-locked spectra decrease or increase simultaneously after passing through a polarization beam splitter, indicating that the dual-wavelength DSs almost share the same polarization state. Experimental results demonstrated that dual-wavelength mode locking strongly depends on birefringence-induced filtering effect.

Adjustable noiselike pulses from a figure-eight fiber laser

We propose and study experimentally and numerically a passively mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser scheme generating noiselike optical pulses, or subns wave packets with a fine inner structure of subps pulses presenting random amplitudes and durations. The particular design of the nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) used in this laser, relying on nonlinear polarization rotation, allows adjusting the switching power through input polarization control. Experimental results show stable pulsed operation over a limited range of the NOLM input polarization angle. Interestingly, the spectral and temporal characteristics of these pulses are observed to be widely variable over that range. In particular, the spectral width varies from 16 to 52 nm and this spectral variation is associated with an inverse evolution in the durations of the bunch and of the inner ultrashort pulses. Simulation results are in good agreement with the experiment. They confirm the strong dependence of the pulse properties on the value of the NOLM switching power, although NOLM switching is not alone responsible for the appearance of the noiselike pulsing mode.

Passively mode-locked fiber laser with kilohertz magnitude repetition rate and tunable pulse width

We propose and demonstrate a strictly all-fiber, erbium doped passively mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser (EDFL). In the laser structure, we use the nonlinear optical loop mirror combination with a variable ratio coupler (VRC-NOLM) to achieve mode-locking. Due to the nonlinear effect in the nonlinear fiber, stable self-starting pulse is obtained. In order to reduce the repetition of pulse, a segment of nonlinear fiber (NLF) has been incorporated into the VRC-NOLM. The laser generates stable rectangular pulses with a low repetition rate (kilohertz magnitude) by extending the length of the cavity. Furthermore, the output pulse width of the fiber laser can be varied by changing the coupler ratio of the variable ratio coupler.

Wavelength-tunable picosecond pulses from a passively mode-locked figure-eight Erbium-doped fiber laser with a Sagnac fiber filter

We experimentally demonstrated a wavelength-tunable passively mode-locked Erbium-doped figure-eight fiber laser. Wide tunability is achieved using a high-birefringence (hi-bi) fiber Sagnac loop. The filter transmission pass wavelength is controlled by thermally adjusting the hi-bi fiber loop length. The output pulses are wavelength tunable over a range from 1525 nm to 1555 nm. The FWHM of the autocorrelation trace is about 3.1 ps and the pulse spectrum has a FWHM of 1.5 nm. The pulse temporal and spectral widths remain constant over the tunable range.

Mode-locked fiber laser based on an attenuation-imbalanced nonlinear optical loop mirror

We propose a mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser by utilizing an attenuation-imbalanced nonlinear optical loop mirror (AI-NOLM) for the first time. Stable self-starting passively mode-locked pulses as short as 296 fs are obtained. We have also confirmed that the pulse width of the laser can be varied by changing the amount of attenuation in the AI-NOLM.

Experimental observation of stable bound solitons in a figure-eight fiber laser

Temporal bound solitons are observed experimentally in a passively mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser with a dispersion-imbalanced nonlinear optical loop mirror (DI-NOLM). Soliton interactions are suppressed by use of a spectral bandpass filter, and Gordon-Haus timing jitter is eliminated with a DI-NOLM, which removes the cw light component in the laser cavity. The bound solitons are found to be stable for several hours in the laser cavity when no external perturbation is applied.