Spectrum research on the passive mode-locked \(\hbox {Yb}^{3+}\)-doped fiber laser
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Abstract
In this paper, the spectrum characters of passive mode locked \(\hbox {Yb}^{3+}\)-doped fiber laser were investigated in detail, tunable four wavelengths with more than 30 nm tuning range, single wavelength, double wavelengths, multi-wavelengths laser output have all been observed in experiment. Moreover, these results were analyzed theoretically.
Keywords
Wavelength Passive mode-locked \(\hbox {Yb}^{3+}\)-doped fiber laser Dispersion1 Introduction
Stable multi-wavelength mode-locked fiber lasers are particularly useful in fiber-optical sensing, optical instrumentation, microwave photonic systems, optical signal processing, wavelength-division-multiplexing transmission systems and so on Pudo and Chen (2003), Lou et al. (2004), Chen et al. (2000), Gong et al. (2005), (2006), Li and Chan (1998), Yao et al. (2001), Hayahi and Yamashita (2003), Bellemare et al. (2000), Wey et al. (1997), Li et al. (1998), Vlachos et al. (2000), Mielke et al. (2003), Tu et al. (2007), Fenga et al. (2006), Yeh et al. (2007), Schultz et al. (2009), Okhotnikov et al. (2003), Kivist et al. (2008), Zhe et al. (2009), Song et al. (2009a), Song et al. (2009b), due to the numerous advantages including the generation of narrow high-repetition-rate pulse trains at multiple wavelengths, high power, low noise and the compatibility with other fiber-optic components.
Many different mode-locked multi-wavelength fiber lasers have been reported in the last few years. Previously, room-temperature multi-wavelength lasing in an actively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber ring laser (ML-EDFRL) was demonstrated by use of multiple gain media in the laser cavity Pudo and Chen (2003), temporal-spectral multiplexing Lou et al. (2004), flattening the gain spectrum Chen et al. (2000),or the inter-channel multiple four-wave mixing Gong et al. (2005). However, these designs are somewhat complex or have poor tunability. As an alternative way, multi-wavelength dispersion-tuned actively ML-EDFRL has been proposed Li and Chan (1998). However, the laser is sensitive to the environment disturbance due to its long cavity. Further more, the erbium-doped fiber lasers were cooled in liquid Nitrogen to reduce the strong homogenous gain broadening effect at room temperature, Yao et al. (2001), Hayahi and Yamashita (2003), which made the system bulky and impractical for real applications. Bellemare et al. (2000) used a frequency shifter in a cw fiber lasers to reduce homogenous gain broadening. A variable cavity length created by introducing a frequency shifter may not be suitable for active mode locked. High noise is another problem for multi wavelength active mode locked fiber lasers. By using an intra-cavity F-P filter or a nonlinear polarization rotator Wey et al. (1997), Li et al. (1998), the supermode noise can be suppressed, but at the cost of high insertion loss. It was demonstrated that the use of semiconductor material as the gain medium could provide stable multi-wavelength lasing at room temperature with weaker homogenous gain broadening Vlachos et al. (2000), Mielke et al. (2003). However, lasers using semiconductor material tend to have low output power and high noise figure comparing with EDF-based lasers.
Contrast to active multi-wavelength mode locked fiber lasers, passive multi-wavelength mode locked fiber lasers have been a powerful technique for the generation of subpicosecond and femtosecond optical pulses. As it is self-starting, modulation mechanisms are not needed comparing with active starting, so the cost and complexity of the ultrashort pulse lasers reduce. Based on so many advantages, passive multi-wavelength mode locked fiber lasers have been widely studied by many people currently Tu et al. (2007), Fenga et al. (2006), Gong et al. (2006), Yeh et al. (2007). In order to generate multi-wavelength laser, all kinds of filters were used such as Mach–Zehnder filter Tu et al. (2007), F-P filter Fenga et al. (2006), polarization maintaining fiber filterGong et al. (2006) and double-ring filterYeh et al. (2007). In order to tune the wavelength, interference tunable spectral filter Schultz et al. (2009), grating-pair tunable dispersive delay line Okhotnikov et al. (2003) and acousto-optic tunable filter Kivist et al. (2008) have been used. A signal or dual wavelength tunable passive mode locked Erbium-doped Fiber lasers only by appropriately rotating the polarization controllers have been reported Zhe et al. (2009), Song et al. (2009a), Song et al. (2009b).
However, multi wavelength tunable passive mode locked \(\hbox {Yb}^{3+}\)-doped fiber laser only by appropriately rotating the polarization controllers has not been reported to our best knowledge. In this paper a tunable four wavelengths passive mode locked \(\hbox {Yb}^{3+}\)-doped fiber laser is obtained by only adjusting the polarization controller carefully and choosing the proper parameters of fiber laser. Moreover, single wavelength, double wavelengths, multi-wavelengths have been also observed and studied in this paper.
2 Principle and design
Experimental setup of \(\hbox {Yb}^{3+}\)-doped fiber ring laser
Principle of NPR, E: Electric vector of input signal; x: fast axis of SMF; y: slow axis of SMF
The transmittivity(T) against light power(P) induced by NPR
Of course, the \(\hbox {Yb}^{3+}\)-doped fiber is a normal dispersion medium Okhotnikov et al. (2003), which is different to \(\hbox {Er}^{3+}\)-doped fiber, so it is impossible to create soliton pulse without dispersion compensating. Only the anomalous dispersion compensating components are introduced into the cavity, the dispersion can be balanced and soliton pulses can be achieved. It is to say the mode locked pulse is a chirp pulse in the region of normal dispersion when no dispersion compensating component used in ring cavity. In the same time, the interference effect of normal dispersion, SPM and XPM will affect the shape of optical spectrum as the follows experiment analysis.
3 Experimental results and anylsis
Through carefully adjusting the direction angles of the polarization controllers \(\hbox {PC}_{1}\) and \(\hbox {PC}_{2},\,\hbox {Yb}^{3+}\) fiber ring laser can operate with four wavelengths mode-locked modes from 1037.875 nm to 1071.729 nm shown in Fig. 9 continuously when the pumping power is 240 mW. Taking advantage of the intensity-dependent loss induced by the NPR effect which could be used to efficiently suppress the mode competition, the output four wavelengths pulses were stable at room temperature in our experiment.
Autocorrelation traces of the mode-locked signal with tunable four wavelengths (the dot line is experiment data and continuous line is Gaussian fit)
Autocorrelation traces of the compression Mode-locked signal (the solid curve is Gaussian fit)
Spectrum of single wavelength continuous laser
Spectrum of dual wavelength continuous laser
Spectrum of mode-locked laser with chirping compensation
(a,b,c,d as above four figures) Spectrum of tunable four wavelengths of mode-locked laser
Spectrum of multi-wavelength continuous laser
For lower pumping power about 50 mW and 180 mW, the Q-switched mode-locked pulse and Q-switched pulse can be obtained respectively. The generation of Q-switched mode-locked or Q-switched pulse are influenced by pump power, direction angles of the polarization controllers \(\hbox {PC}_{1}\) and \(\hbox {PC}_{2}\) and so on Gan et al. (2006), Sanchez et al. (2008). The pump power is more than 400 mW with two LD pumping, multi pulses phenomenon Komarov et al. (2006) has been observed. At the same time we observe the hysteresis phenomenon when the pump power decreases to the threshold of mode locked laser as reference Yu et al. (2009).
4 Conclusion
Tunable four wavelengths, single wavelength, double wavelengths, multi-wavelengths of passive mode locked \(\hbox {Yb}^{3+}\)-doped fiber laser were investigated in detail, tunable four wavelengths can be obtained only by adjusting the polarization controller carefully in the cavity and choosing the devise parameter of laser appropriately. The tuning range is more than 30 nm, The side-mode suppression ratio of the output pulse is larger than 10 dB. At the same time, single wavelength, double wavelengths and multi wavelengths have been all obtained, the experiment results are in good agreement with our theory analysis.
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