Flexible high-repetition-rate ultrafast fiber laser

Abstract

High-repetition-rate pulses have widespread applications in the fields of fiber communications, frequency comb, and optical sensing. Here, we have demonstrated high-repetition-rate ultrashort pulses in an all-fiber laser by exploiting an intracavity Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) as a comb filter. The repetition rate of the laser can be tuned flexibly from about 7 to 1100 GHz by controlling the optical path difference between the two arms of the MZI. The pulse duration can be reduced continuously from about 10.1 to 0.55 ps with the spectral width tunable from about 0.35 to 5.7 nm by manipulating the intracavity polarization controller. Numerical simulations well confirm the experimental observations and show that filter-driven four-wave mixing effect, induced by the MZI, is the main mechanism that governs the formation of the high-repetition-rate pulses. This all-fiber-based laser is a simple and low-cost source for various applications where high-repetition-rate pulses are necessary.

Simultaneous picosecond and femtosecond solitons delivered from a nanotube-mode-locked all-fiber laser

“…Ultrashort fiber lasers have attracted much attention due to their wide application in fiber telecommunications, biomedical diagnostics, and industrial materials processing [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Additionally, fiber frequency combs and fiberbased extreme-ultraviolet sources are well developed based on ultrashort fiber lasers [7].…”

Fundamental-mode third harmonic generation in microfibers by pulse-induced quasi-phase matching

“…The pulses at high repetition rate can be provided by a picosecond mode-locked laser [26,27] or by an electro-optic amplitude modulator operating in microwave band. When the cost of backward pump energy is taken into account, conversion efficiency of the fundamental-mode THG could ideally be enhanced by about six orders of magnitude in this quasi-phase-matching way.…”

Square Nanosecond Mode-Locked Laser Based on Nonlinear Amplifying Loop Mirror

“…Self-started passive mode-locking could be achieved by virtue of different mechanisms such as NPR [16], semiconductor saturable absorption [17], graphene saturable absorber [18], nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) [15], and nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM) [19]. Recently, a fiber laser using an intracavity Mach-Zehnder interferometer working on the stable operation was demonstrated [20]. The system could in principle be constructed from all-PM fibers.…”