Nonlinear Polarization Evolution Research Articles

Experimental and numerical study of different mode-locking techniques in holmium fiber laser with a ring cavity

Experimental and numerical study has been performed for three techniques of mode-locking in all-fiber Holmium laser. We have compared the fundamental repetition rate pulsed generation for mode-locking based on: nonlinear polarization evolution, polymer-free single-walled carbon nanotubes, and hybrid mode-locking. Experimental and numerical simulation results demonstrated the shortest pulse duration and maximum spectrum width for mode-locking based on the nonlinear polarization evolution: 1.3 ps, 4.2 nm and 1.3 ps, 4.1 nm, respectively. The self-starting mode in this case can vary depending on external conditions in the experiment. In Ho-doped fiber laser with polymer-free single-walled carbon nanotubes mode-locking, the small modulation depth of saturable absorption leads to a long time period of stationary single-pulse lasing development (about 104 cavity roundtrips in simulation, and ≈5 s in the experiment). Both experimental and numerical studies have indicated that a Ho-doped fiber laser with hybrid mode-locking provides optimal generation, enabling self-starting and a relatively fast transition to stable single-pulse lasing (less than 1.5 × 103 cavity roundtrips in simulation, and ≈3 s in experiment). This study presents the first employment of polymer-free single-walled carbon nanotubes for hybrid mode-locking in a Ho-doped fiber laser.

Mode-locked large-mode-area Er/Yb-doped fiber oscillator via nonlinear polarization evolution with enhanced mode suppression

We report a mode-locked Er/Yb-doped large-mode-area (LMA) fiber oscillator based on nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE), which utilizes a linear cavity primarily composed of polarization-maintaining (PM) fibers. The oscillator operates at 1.56 µm with a fundamental repetition rate of 34.47 MHz and has two output ports. One port can deliver high-quality soliton-like pulses with a pulse duration of 325 fs and an average power of 39.5 mW (corresponding to a pulse energy of 1.15 nJ). In contrast, the other port not only generates lower-quality complex pulses but also exhibits poorer short-term and long-term stability, likely due to cross-phase modulation effects. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first implementation of the NPE mode-locked technology in a PM-LMA Er/Yb-doped fiber oscillator at 1.55 µm which often suffers from poor self-starting mode-locking capabilities. This achievement is primarily attributed to the use of endlessly single-mode photonic crystal fibers, which effectively suppress higher-order modes in PM-LMA fibers.

Pump-power-controlled L-band wavelength-tunable mode-locked fiber laser utilizing nonlinear polarization evolution in all-polarization-maintaining fibers

We present for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the pump-power-controlled, all-polarization-maintaining (all-PM), all-fiber configured, wavelength-tunable mode-locked fiber laser in the L-band (1565 to 1625 nm). A tuning range over 20 nm (1568.2 to 1588.9 nm) is attained simply by varying the pump power between 45 and 115 mW. Our work represents the first demonstration of wavelength tuning in all-PM configured nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE) lasers. The non-mechanical and electrically controllable tuning method offers ease of use and cost efficiency within an advanced all-PM, all-fiber design, indicating promising adaptability to diverse wavelength bands.

Similariton-like Pulse Evolution in an Er-Doped Fiber Laser with Hybrid Mode Locking

An Er-doped all-fiber ultrashort pulse laser with positive total net-cavity group-velocity dispersion is demonstrated based on a hybrid mode-locking mechanism ensured by single-walled carbon–boron–nitrogen nanotubes with coaction of the nonlinear polarization evolution effect. The generation regime with a similariton-like spectrum is obtained. The spectrum width is ~31.5 nm, and the minimal pulse duration is ~294 fs at full width at half maximum. The average output power is ~3.2 mW, corresponding to 0.376 nJ pulse energy and 1.25 kW peak power. The fundamental pulse repetition rate is ~8.5 MHz, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 60 dB. The standard deviation of average output optical power stability, measured for 12 h, is about ~1% RMS, and the maximum level of relative intensity noise (RIN) does not exceed <−120 dBc/Hz in the 30 Hz–1 MHz frequency range. To prove the similariton-like regime generation, we also studied numerically and experimentally the pulse evolution during propagation through a laser resonator and output single-mode fiber with anomalous dispersion.

Ultrafast laser direct writing of material independent integrated nonlinear components based on NPE

Material independent integrated nonlinear components (MIINC) based on nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE) play an important role in the emerging quantum computing, integrated photonics and ultrafast science. However, to our knowledge, no one has yet employed ultrafast laser direct writing for NPE-based MIINC. Here, for the first time, we finish the MIINC direct writing based on NPE using an ultrafast laser, and we suggest a multi-slice (MS) approach to in-fiber waveplate direct writing that allows for flexible adjustment of the phase difference, the waveplate fast and slow axis, and the stress birefringence value. To complete the measurement of the nonlinear transmittance curve, a polarization-splitter prism is attached to the output light path's back end. The measurement results agree with the theoretical calculation. MIINC based on NPE with arbitrary nonlinear transmittance curves are fabricated via the direct writing method, which is expected to be used in optical chips in the future.

SNR of a combined mode-locked fiber laser generating conventional and dissipative solitons.

In this paper, we utilized a combined mode-locked fiber laser including a saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) and nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE) to generate conventional solitons (CSs) and dissipative solitons (DSs), respectively, in order to investigate the difference in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between the outputs of these two types of solitons in artificial and natural saturators. Both simulation and experimental results demonstrated that, under the shared pump power, the DSs from the NPE-based mode-locked fiber output exhibited a higher SNR of approximately 60dB, compared to the CSs from the SESAM-based mode-locked fiber output of 45dB. Furthermore, we conducted theoretical analysis of these results. We believe that this work can provide new approaches for SNR improvement research in the fields of passively mode-locked fiber lasers.

Nanosecond-pulse fiber laser mode-locked with polyaniline saturable absorber

We prove that mode-locking of an Erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) with a Polyaniline (PANI) saturable absorber (SA) can produce nanosecond pulses at repetition rate of 962 kHz in the elongated ring cavity. The SA is fabricated by embedding a PANI into PVA. The conducting polymer-based SA exhibits a good optical nonlinear property with a modulation depth of 2.3%. The laser operated in nanosecond regime due to the saturable absorption of the PANI PVA SA instead of nonlinear polarization evolution. A clean single pulse is observed, and the pulse train exhibits low jitter. It operated at 1530.8 nm with a pulse duration of 228 ns and a maximum pulse energy of 3.1 nJ. Due to its extremely large chirp property, the proposed laser is suited for application in the chirped-pulse amplification systems.

Generation of 583 fs optical pulses at 10 GHz from a regeneratively mode-locked fiber laser combining nonlinear polarization evolution

A regeneratively mode-locked erbium fiber laser was numerically investigated and experimentally demonstrated, which was able to generate a 583 fs pulse train at 10 GHz via intracavity pulse compression with nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE). To excite the NPE at such a high repetition rate, a dispersion map was intentionally introduced to obtain short pulses accompanied by high peaks through soliton-like pulse shaping. Numerical simulations indicated that steady-state oscillation with pulses below 1 ps can be successfully established using this laser configuration. Experimentally, we obtained a pulse duration of 583 fs and a 3 dB spectral width of 4.5 nm at an average output power of 15.6 mW. Simultaneously, supermode suppression of more than 80 dB was also obtained from the appropriate biased NPE.

Coexistence and competition: Double attractors in hybrid mode-locked fiber lasers

The hybrid mode-locking technique has been widely used in enhancing pulse quality, but the specific mechanism of hybrid mode-locking remains unclear. In this work, we experimentally investigate three pulse formation mechanisms in saturable absorbers (SA) and nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE) passively hybrid mode-locked fiber laser, which are SA domination, NPE domination, and SA-NPE co-domination switching and clarified the existent dynamic competition and cooperation between the two mode-locking mechanisms of the hybrid mode-locked fiber laser. The method of simulating the filtered gain spectrum with customized filtering is proposed, and the switching of pulse formation mechanisms is numerically investigated using the coupled Ginzburg–Landau equations. The presence of a double attractor subsystem in a hybrid mode-locked fiber laser is proposed and demonstrated. Our results deepen the understanding of hybrid mode-locked fiber lasers and provide experimental ideas for the study of multi-attractor coexistence.

Low-noise compact fiber laser based on nonlinear polarization evolution in an all-polarization-maintaining figure-8 cavity

Low-noise compact fiber laser based on nonlinear polarization evolution in an all-polarization-maintaining figure-8 cavity

All-polarization-maintaining Ho-doped fiber oscillator mode-locked with nonlinear polarization evolution.

We report a self-starting mode-locked all-polarization-maintaining (PM) holmium (Ho)-doped fiber oscillator operating at ∼2.08 µm based on nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE). The oscillator is configured as a linear cavity structure with two output ports exhibiting completely different pulse characteristics. One output port of the oscillator can deliver a stable, clean soliton-like pulse with a pulse duration of 439 fs and an average power of 7.5 mW at a fundamental repetition rate of 61.67 MHz. In contrast, the other port delivers a low-quality pulse with a complex structure. Numerical simulations reveal that the pulse difference between the two ports is mainly caused by the nonlinear optical interactions between the slow-axis and fast-axis modes in the PM fibers. Furthermore, the obtained clean pulses show significant improvements in relative intensity noise and power stability compared to complex pulses. Our study can help researchers obtain high-quality, stable pulses from PM-NPE mode-locked fiber oscillators.

Significant enhancement of multiple resonant sidebands in a soliton fiber laser

Resonant sidebands in soliton fiber lasers have garnered substantial interest in recent years due to their crucial role in understanding soliton propagation and interaction dynamics. However, most previous studies and applications were restricted to focusing on only the first few low-order resonant sidebands because higher-order sidebands usually decay exponentially as their wavelengths shift far away from the soliton center and are negligibly weak. Here we report numerically and experimentally significant enhancement of multiple resonant sidebands in a soliton fiber laser mode-locked by a nonlinear polarization evolution mechanism. The birefringence and the gain profile of the laser cavity were shown to be critical for this phenomenon. Multiple intense resonant sidebands were generated whose maximum intensity was more than 30 dB higher than that of the soliton, which is the highest yet reported, to our knowledge. To accurately predict the wavelengths of all high-order resonant sidebands, an explicit formula was derived by taking the third-order dispersion effect into account. The temporal features of multiple orders of resonant sidebands were characterized, which all exhibit exponentially decaying leading edges. This study provides insight into understanding the properties of high-order resonant sidebands in a soliton laser and opens possibilities for constructing multi-wavelength laser sources.

Intracavity filtering effect in a dual-output linear-cavity all-PM fiber laser mode-locked byNPE.

We have demonstrated a stable and low-noise all-polarization-maintaining (PM) ultrafast erbium-doped fiber laser mode-locked via nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE) in a linear cavity with dual outputs. A detailed design strategy is presented. The all-PM configuration enhances the capability of resistance to environmental fluctuations. Self-starting mode-locking is realized by using a non-reciprocal phase shifter. The dual-output structure offers the intracavity filtering effect, where the reflective port serves as a bandpass spectral filter, significantly improving the transmissive-port optical properties. The laser directly generates ultrashort pulses with a pulse duration of 129fs operating at a fundamental repetition rate of 105.8MHz. The integrated root-mean-square (RMS) relative intensity noise from 10Hz to 10MHz is ∼0.008%, and the integrated RMS timing jitter from 5kHz to 10MHz is ∼36f s. Long-term stability is confirmed in 25h with a RMS power fluctuation of ∼0.10%. Our high-performance fiber laser is a prospective candidate for low-noise applications.

Build-up dynamics of different pulse types in a dispersion-managed Yb-doped fibre laser

We present a dispersion-managed mode-locked ytterbium fibre laser based on the nonlinear polarization evolution technique. Four single-pulse states could be generated by changing group delay dispersion values from anomalous (−0.0038 ps2) to normal (0.051 ps2) with a grating pair. In the normal dispersion regime, the pulse width was gradually decreased with the decrease of the net dispersion. In the anomalous dispersion region, the typical soliton was obtained, which time-bandwidth product could be calculated as 0.526. In addition, the dynamics of four states were also investigated by using the dispersive Fourier transformation technique. Different pulse evolution dynamics were observed from chaotic state to mode-locking.

All-Polarization-Maintaining Linear Cavity Fiber Lasers Mode-Locked by Nonlinear Polarization Evolution in Stretched Pulse Regime

Nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE) is among the most advanced techniques for obtaining ultrashort pulses with excellent optical performance. However, it is challenging to design environmentally stable NPE fiber oscillators using only polarization-maintaining (PM) fibers. Here, we use the same PM fiber and non-reciprocal phase shifter to design two different devices, which are capable of acting as effective NPE saturable absorbers (SAs) in two all-PM linear cavity fiber lasers. These two laser setups differ in the position of the non-reciprocal phase shifter, the presence of which is crucial for the proposed fiber lasers to reduce their mode-locking thresholds and achieve high repetition rates above 100 MHz. The mode-locking principle and pulse evolution in the laser cavity are investigated theoretically. The first all-PM fiber oscillator emits sub-200 fs stretched pulses with low peak powers. The second oscillator, with a simpler architecture, directly delivers stretched pulses with high peak powers, the spectral bandwidth greater than 30 nm, and the pulse duration less than 90 fs. To the best of our knowledge, 79 fs achieved in this design is the shortest pulse duration provided by PM fiber lasers using NPE mode-lockers.

Coherence Deterioration in Ultrafast Fiber Lasers Mode-Locked by Nonlinear Polarization Rotation

Ultrafast lasers based on nonlinear polarization rotation has attracted significant attentions, where artificial saturable absorption is induced by Kerr effect. Due to polarization-dependent device within, nonlinear polarization rotation laser cavity generally operates in scalar regime, while vector dynamics have been observed occasionally. However, coherence deterioration induced by nonlinear polarization evolution are rarely reported. Here, we investigate the coherence deterioration for the ultrafast laser systems based on nonlinear polarization rotation. Three types of vector pulses, group velocity locked vector solitons, polarization rotation vector solitons, and coherence deteriorated states can be generated by finely tuning the birefringence of cavity. Combining dispersive Fourier transform and division-of-amplitude facilitates single-shot measurements of wavelength-resolved states of polarization. We find that birefringence-induced phase shift promotes the wavelength-dependent polarization rotation and various polarization evolution speed. In the coherence deteriorated states, optical polarization rogue waves at certain wavelengths are identified, while optical intensities show different irregular probability distributions.

Transient dynamics of dissipative solitons formation in a net-normal dispersion mode-locked fiber laser based on nonlinear polarization evolution.

In mode-locked fiber lasers, the formation of ultrashort pulses from noisy or unstable states is a crucial area of research. Investigating these complex nonlinear dynamics can lead to valuable insights and new practical engineering techniques, particularly for the design and optimization of optical systems. Time-stretch dispersive Fourier transform, utilized in our study to investigate dissipative solitons formation in a net-normal dispersion nonlinear polarization evolution mode-locked fiber laser, provides a window into the intricate dynamics of such systems. In our experiments, the identification of five distinct transient stages in the formation process sheds light on the underlying mechanisms of dissipative soliton (DS) formation. The five distinct transient stages involved in the formation process include relaxation oscillation, modulation instability, spectral broadening, soliton explosions (SEs), and stable mode-locking. Notably, we also observed the generation of dissipative rogue waves during the SE stage. Our findings shed light on the intricate dynamics of DS formation and offer valuable insights for the design and optimization of mode-locked fiber lasers.

Visible femtosecond fiber laser.

Femtosecond fiber lasers have revolutionized the industry of laser technology by providing ultrashort pulses of high brightness through compact, affordable, and reliable setups. In this work, we extend the scope of application of such sources by reporting, to our knowledge, the first femtosecond fiber laser operating in the visible spectrum. The passively mode-locked ring cavity is based on nonlinear polarization evolution in a single-mode Pr3+-doped fluoride fiber and runs in an all-normal dispersion regime. Compressed pulses at 635 nm have a duration of 168 fs, a peak power of 0.73 kW, and a repetition rate of 137 MHz.

Coherent optical gyroscope on the basis of the bidirectional ultra-short pulse Erbium ring fiber laser

A gyroscopic effect has been studied in the bidirectional ultra-short pulse erbium-doped fiber ring laser hybridly mode-locked with a co-action of a Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube-based saturable absorber (SWCNT-SA) and Nonlinear Polarization Evolution introduced by means of the short-segment polarizing fiber. Owing to the Kerr nonlinearity contribution through self-phase modulation and self-steepening effects to the carrier-to-envelope phase slip of both clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) solitons, wideband controllable tuning of a gyroscope bias point has been demonstrated by means of an appropriate adjustment of either intracavity polarization or pump power. Angular velocity detected ranges from 0.12 deg/s to 360 deg/s while the highest rotation sensitivity reaches 7 kHz/(deg/s) for 0.79 m2 single-coil ring gyroscope being in agreement with the calculated scale factor value. The gyroscope dead band with upper limit of ≈5.15 deg/s corresponding to the beat-note frequency of ≈15 kHz has been detected during clockwise rotation of the gyroscope. The highest gyroscope resolution of ≈0.01 deg/s=38 deg/h has been estimated on the basis of the bias point drift measurement.

976 nm all-polarization-maintaining mode-locked fiber laser based on nonlinear polarization evolution.

An all-polarization-maintaining (PM) mode-locked fiber laser based upon nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE) that operates around 976 nm is presented. The NPE-based mode-locking is realized using a special section of the laser which comprises three pieces of PM fibers with specific deviation angles between the polarization axes and a polarization-dependent isolator. By optimizing the NPE section and adjusting the pump power, dissipative soliton (DS) pulses with a pulse duration of ∼6 ps, a spectral bandwidth of >10 nm and a maximum pulse energy of 0.54 nJ are generated. Self-starting, steady mode-locking operation is achievable within a pump power range of ∼2 W. Moreover, by incorporating a segment of passive fiber into the appropriate location in the laser resonator, an intermediate regime between stable single-pulse mode-locking and noise-like pulse (NLP) is realized in the laser. Our work expands the dimension of the research on the mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser operating around 976 nm.