Passive mode locking of Yb:KLuW using a single-walled carbon nanotube saturable absorber

Abstract

Mode locking of an Yb-doped bulk laser in the 1 microm spectral range using a single-walled carbon nanotube saturable absorber (SWCNT-SA) is demonstrated for the first time, to our knowledge. Passive mode locking of an Yb:KLuW laser resulted in nearly transform-limited pulses as short as 115 fs at 1048 nm. In addition, the nonlinear response of the SWCNT-SA was measured, yielding a modulation depth of 0.25% and a relaxation time of 750 fs.

Q-Switched Operation with Carbon-Based Saturable Absorbers in a Nd:YLF Laser

“…Carbon nanotubes have lower q 0 values than graphene. Modulation depths are typically around 1% and below [4][5][6], which correspond to q 0 = 0.01 and below. A single graphene layer absorbs ∼2.3%; the absorbance of n graphene layers is q 0 = −2n ln(1 − 0.023).…”

“…One advantage of the last two in relation to dyes and SESAMS is that they are not wavelength specific, so you can use the same absorber for a large variety of lasers. Carbon nanotubes have already been used to produce Q-switched [2] and mode-locked [3][4][5][6] laser pulses in bulk solid-state lasers. CNTs have been also used in fiber lasers using single-walled CNTs for the high-order harmonic mode locking [7] or single or double-walled CNTs for passive mode locking of erbium-doped fibers [8].…”

Carbon Nanotube-Based Photonic Devices: Applications in Nonlinear Optics

“…Such mirror can then be used to operate in a laser in a reflection-mode. This can be applied to the fabrication of solid state lasers, where by using spin coating a CNT-polymer can be deposited over the solid state laser mirror (Schmidt et al, 2008). It is also useful to achieve short cavity lasers with multi-gigahertz repetition rates.…”

Soliton building from spontaneous emission by ring-cavity fiber laser using carbon nanotubes for passive mode locking

“…7 Graphene [8][9][10] and nanoscale graphite 11,12 materials based on CNTs have attracted much attention because of their high optical nonlinearity and fast recovery time when used as an SA in a mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) for femtosecond/picosecond pulse generation. [13][14][15][16][17][18] Because SWCNTs possess subpicosecond recovery times and broad absorption spectra, active fibers doped with Yb: KLuW operating at a wavelength of 1000 nm, 19 a praseodymium-doped fiber operating at 1300 nm, 20 a ytterbiumdoped fiber operating at 1064 nm, 21 and active fibers doped with Er þ3 operating at 1500 nm have been modelocked with SWCNT SAs. 22 Most recent studies on fiber lasers have focused only on the use of CNTs with erbium (Er) fiber lasers for generating short optical pulses at a 22 MHz repetition rate with a 50 kW peak power and a 1.1 ps pulse width 23,24 or a 39 MHz repetition rate with a 3.4 mW peak power and a 115 fs pulse width.…”