Heterodyne autocorrelation method for characterizing 1.55 μmoptical pulse train and for measuring dispersion and nonlinearity inoptical fibers

Heterodyne autocorrelation measurement of 1.55 μm optical pulses from an actively mode-locked external cavity diode laser is performed before and after transmission through an optical fiber. In heterodyne autocorrelation, optical spectrum is resolved electronically. This method is suitable for measurement of optical pulses with a spectral width of less than 100 GHz, and it gives not only the pulse width and chirp of the pulses, but also it is useful for determining the dispersion and optical Kerr constant of an optical fiber. Analytical formalism for deducing these quantities is given for Gaussian pulses. Principal measurement is performed using a mode-locked diode laser. Dispersion is measured for a conventional-dispersion fiber of 35 km. Also, self-phase modulation (SPM) is measured for a dispersion-shifted fiber of 15.83 km     

Pulse compression of an actively modelocked diode laser usinglinear dispersion in fiber

Pulses from a tunable actively mode-locked InGaAsP laser compressed using linear dispersion in single-mode optical fiber are discussed. High-repetition-rate pulses as short as 4.1 ps have been achieved. Compression is optimized by wavelength tuning of the mode-locked laser. Time-resolved spectral measurements show the compensation of pulse chirp by fiber dispersion     

Locking bandwidth of actively mode-locked semiconductor lasersusing fiber-grating external cavities

We demonstrate numerically that actively mode-locked semiconductor lasers employing a linearly-chirped fiber grating in an external cavity can exhibit multiple drive frequency ranges of stable pulse generation, and thus give a large locking bandwidth. The locking bandwidth defines the range of RF drive frequencies over which the laser will generate pulses with low timing jitter. The stable optical pulses are generated with leading or trailing subpulses due to optical energy circulating within the fiber grating. The multiple stable ranges merge if loss is introduced into the fiber-grating region. We also show that the locking bandwidth can be improved if chirp is introduced into the grating. Suprisingly, however, chirp of either sign improves the locking bandwidth     

调Q及连续掺Yb光纤激光器中的自锁模研究

在用半导体激光器抽运的单包层掺Yb调Q光纤激光器中观察到了清晰稳定的自锁模脉冲序列。脉冲包络形状为调Q脉冲。每个锁模脉冲的幅值由其在调Q脉冲中的相应位置决定。经过分析，认为自相位调制是调Q光纤激光器中产生锁模的主要原因。自相位调制的存在使得光脉冲的频谱被展宽，当这种展宽和腔的模式间隔相差不多时，腔内的模式便能相互作用，直到它们之间产生一个固定的相位关系。也即形成锁模。在此基础上。去掉声光晶体，并用两个光栅作为腔镜，实现了全光纤法布里-珀罗(F-P)腔锁模光纤激光器。改变腔结构，分别采用光栅和光纤反射圈作为前后腔镜，同样观察到了锁模脉冲。经过观察发现，锁模脉冲的产生和掺Yb光纤的浓度、长度、抽运功率的大小有着密切的关系。这为锁模脉冲的产生提供了一种新的方法。     

Photonic Generation of Chirped Microwave Pulses Using Superimposed Chirped Fiber Bragg Gratings

A novel approach to generating linearly chirped microwave pulses in the optical domain based on spectral shaping and linear frequency-to-time mapping is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. In the proposed system, the spectrum of a femtosecond pulse generated by a mode-locked fiber laser is spectrum-shaped by an optical filter that consists of two superimposed chirped fiber Bragg gratings (SI-CFBGs) with different chirp rates. The SI-CFBGs form a Fabry-Perot cavity with a cavity length linearly dependent on the resonance wavelength, thus a spectral response with an increased or decreased free spectral range is generated. A chirped microwave pulse with the pulse shape identical to the shaped spectrum is obtained at the output of a high-speed photodetector thanks to the frequency-to-time mapping in a dispersive device. The proposed technique is experimentally demonstrated, a linearly chirped microwave pulse with a central frequency of 15 GHz and a chirp rate of 0.0217 GHz/ps is experimentally generated.     

输出大啁啾脉冲的展宽脉冲锁模光纤激光器

报道了一种大啁啾脉冲输出的全光纤展宽脉冲锁模激光器,以非线性偏振旋转(NPR)实现自启动锁模。激光器其余部分为全单模光纤(SMF)结构,提供很大的正色散,光栅对提供色散补偿,输出展宽脉冲。实验中得到了重复频率36.96MHz,单脉冲能量1.81nJ的稳定锁模脉冲序列,使用频谱分析仪观测得到脉冲序列一次谐波信噪比(SNR)达到80dB。直接输出脉冲有很大的正啁啾,脉宽为2.17ps,经过腔外压缩可获得70fs的脉冲。这种能压缩到百飞秒量级的大啁啾脉冲非常适用于光纤啁啾脉冲放大(CPA)系统。     

Tunable, picosecond pulse generation using a compressed, modelockedlaser diode source

The generation of pulses shorter than 6 ps, tunable from 1.26 to 1.32 μm, is discussed. The source of these pulses consists of a mode-locked external-cavity 12.3-μm InGaAsP diode laser with grating feedback combined with a compressor which is a grating pair containing an internal telescope. The dispersion in the compressor can be tuned in both magnitude and sign to optimally compensate the chirp in the mode-locked external cavity laser at each wavelength     

Mode-locked erbium-doped fiber ring laser using intracavity polarization-maintaining loop mirror

Erbium-doped fiber lasers at repetition rate of 40 and 80 GHz are demonstrated in an injection-locked and rational harmonic mode-locked ring cavity. The cavity has a polarization-maintaining loop mirror. The injection-locking pulse is generated at repetition rates of 20 and 40 GHz from another rational harmonic mode-locked fiber laser. When these pulses are injected into the second fiber laser, pulses at twice the repetition rates viz. 40 and 80 GHz are produced.     

Propagation of highly chirped pulses in fiber-optic communicationssystems

The propagation of strongly chirped pulses in an amplified fiber-optic communications system is experimentally investigated. Spectral narrowing of the pulses is observed. The narrowing is attributed to interplay between the initial chirp and the nonlinearity in the transmission line. Four-wave mixing (FWM) between wavelength channels is found to be similar to that for unchirped nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) pulses. Low error rate transmission over 720 km is achieved using these chirped pulses, which are generated by a transmitter based on a mode-locked fiber laser     

Analysis of a passively mode-locked self-starting all-fiber solitonlaser

Modeling results are presented for a passively mode-locked figure-eight laser (F8L) supporting a linear polarization state. Starting from amplified spontaneous emission, the model produces soliton, chirped, red-shifted, ultra-short pulses. The self-starting conditions of the laser are investigated, and the erbium-doped fiber amplifier gain threshold to passively mode-lock the laser is determined as a function of the center coupler splitting ratio (C_r). The influence of C_r, as well as the effects of the cavity length (L_c), first- and second-order group velocity dispersion to the F8L operating, parameters, and output pulse characteristics such as width, peak power, chirp, self-frequency shift and envelope distortion, are studied     

Generation of over 140-nm-wide super-continuum from a normaldispersion fiber by using a mode-locked semiconductor laser source

The super-continuum (SC) spectrum flatly broadened over 140-nm 10-dB bandwidth is generated by using a mode-locked semiconductor laser as a pulse source at 1550 nm. In our SC generation system, nearly Fourier-transform limited 0.9-ps pulses obtained through linear and nonlinear pulse compression are incident on a dispersion-flattened fiber having a small normal group-velocity dispersion. While the pulses pass through the normal dispersion fiber, the pulse waveform is adapted to suit the accumulation of a linear chirp, which leads to the flat and wide-band SC spectrum     

掺Yb3 光纤环形腔锁模激光器的实验研究

报道了以掺Yb^3＋光纤作为增益介质的环形腔光纤激光器产生超短脉冲的实验研究。在掺Yb^3＋光纤环形腔激光器中，通过调节偏振控制器（PC）的状态和减少腔内损耗，利用非线性偏振旋转效应实现被动锁模，通过改变泵浦功率分别获得了调Q锁模和锁模2种稳定运转状态。其中，调Q锁模的中心波长为1051nm，激光光谱宽度为11．5nm；锁模输出的中心波长为1051nm，激光光谱宽度为13．8nm，重复频率为19MHz。给出了实验结果并作了简要的分析。     

被动锁模光纤激光器中双波长脉冲的产生

报道了从一个典型的基于非线性偏振旋转被动锁模光纤激光器中产生双波长锁模脉冲的研究。双折射诱导的波长相关腔传输使得激光器能同时在2个或多个波长上振荡,本文设计的激光器中最多有3个波长同时产生。由于偏振相关隔离器(PDI)引入的另外偏振相关腔损,通过调节偏振控制器(PC),3个波长中的任意2个能同时共振,并同时锁模。此外,双波长脉冲中2个不同波长的脉冲会相互作用,并通过交叉相位调制形成各种各样的调制格式。     

调Q锁模类噪声方波脉冲掺铒光纤激光器

对基于非线性偏振旋转技术的L波段掺铒被动锁模光纤激光器中产生调Q锁模类噪声方波脉冲进行了实验研究。该类型脉冲中调Q包络内部包含的脉冲是基频方波,通过自相关迹证实该方波为类噪声脉冲。为了容易实现类噪声方波脉冲输出,将一段250 m普通单模光纤引进激光腔内。适当调节腔内的偏振控制器和泵浦功率,获得了基频为778.21 kHz的连续波锁模类噪声方波脉冲和由3.81 kHz可调谐到9.01 kHz的重复频率,单个调Q包络最高能量为1.06 J的调Q锁模类噪声方波脉冲。研究结果有利于进一步理解被动锁模光纤激光器中类噪声脉冲和调Q锁模的机理和特性。     

色散管理光纤锁模激光器在近零色散域的非线性优化

目前,飞秒激光脉冲因脉冲宽度窄和峰值功率高的特点被广泛运用在多种领域中。其中,色散管理光纤锁模激光器因其特有的腔内呼吸机制使输出的激光脉冲能量更高,光谱更宽、脉宽更窄。使用啁啾布拉格光纤光栅进行色散管理的光纤锁模激光器能够实现真正的全光纤结构,提升激光器的紧凑性和稳定性,因此基于啁啾布拉格光纤光栅进行色散管理的光纤锁模激光器具有更加实际的应用意义。采用数值模拟的方法,研究了基于啁啾布拉格光纤光栅进行色散管理的掺镱光纤锁模激光器中单模光纤在腔内的不同分布对脉冲动力学过程和输出脉冲参数的影响。系统分析了谐振腔内净色散值不同时,腔内单模光纤的分布对脉冲在腔内的动力学过程的影响。模拟结果表明,在腔内净色散值为负时,啁啾布拉格光纤光栅与增益光纤间的单模光纤越短,光纤激光器维持稳定单脉冲运行的最大泵浦强度更高且输出光谱更宽,从而能够获得脉宽更窄的去啁啾脉冲;腔内净色散值越接近零时,啁啾布拉格光纤光栅与增益光纤间的单模光纤长度对输出脉冲参数作用的影响越显著;腔内净色散值为正时,单模光纤在腔内的分布对输出脉冲影响逐渐减弱,优化单模光纤分布提升锁模激光器性能并不明显。最后,提出了一种通过改变单模光纤在腔内的分布来提高激光器输出性能的优化方法。     

Mode-locked Pr3+-doped silica fiber laser with anexternal cavity

We present a Pr³⁺-doped silica-based fiber laser mode-locked by using a linear external cavity with a vibrating mirror. Stable laser pulses with a FWHM of less than 44 ps, peak power greater than 9 W, and repetition rate up to 100 MHz are obtained. The pulse width versus cavity mismatch ΔL and pump power have been investigated. With a short piece of nonlinear fiber included in the external cavity, laser pulses of 45 ps have been measured     

双曲正割脉冲在光纤中传输的非线性效应

高斯型脉冲在光纤中的传输已有解析解,而对于一些锁模激光器发射的双曲正割脉冲在光纤中的传输特性尚未有解析解。为了研究高功率双曲正割脉冲在单模光纤中的传输特性,文中借助于分步傅里叶方法分析了峰值功率5 000W的双曲正割脉冲在初始啁啾为1.7 rad/s,色散长度0.64 m,非线性长度1.53 m 时1 m 长的光纤中的脉冲演化过程。结果表明,其色散感应脉冲展宽的定性特征与高斯脉冲近似一致,但色散感应的频率啁啾沿脉冲不再是纯线性变化,若输入脉冲峰值功率过大,会引起频谱振荡。     

Numerical study on a frequency-tunable actively mode-locked fiber laser

We have numerically presented an actively mode-locked fiber laser with tunable repetition rate based on phase modulator. By finely optimizing intra-cavity parameters, the ultrashort pulses with tunable repetitive frequency at giga hertz level can be easily generated due to the balance between dispersion and nonlinearity in the fiber laser cavity. When the pulse frequency is changed from 1.0 GHz to 4.2 GHz, the spectral width increases from ~15.65 nm to ~27.25 nm. In addition, the corresponding pulse duration decreases from ~81.59 ps to ~31.57 ps. Moreover, these output pulses with giga hertz repetitive rates and the picosecond widths can be further compressed by using the reasonable dispersion medium. For the pulse regime with repetition frequency at giga hertz level, the obtained smallest pulse duration is about ~62 fs based on chirp pulse compression. We hope that these simulation results can promote further research and application in the ultrashort pulse lasers with high repetition rate.     

Dual-Wavelength Mode-Locked Erbium-Doped Fiber Ring Laser Using Highly Nonlinear Fiber

We demonstrate a stable dual-wavelength actively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser operating at 20 GHz. A highly nonlinear fiber is used to compensate the frequency chirp caused by regular single-mode fiber in the optical cavity. Dual-wavelength pulse trains with pulsewidths $sim$1.4 ps are obtained.      

Chirp and stability of mode-locked semiconductor lasers

A numerical study of mode-locked semiconductor lasers is presented with special attention to the chirp characteristics and to dispersion-related criteria for stable pulse-train emission. The dependence of the pulse chirp upon the refractive-index change, both with carrier density and carrier temperature changes, is discussed. The experimental observation of blue-chirped pulses for passive mode-locking in contrast to red-chirped pulses for active mode-locking is found to be due to the different contributions of gain and absorber media to the refractive-index change. In addition, it is revealed that the boundary of the stable operation regime is critically influenced by the spectral characteristics of laser and external cavity. Design considerations toward the achievement of high pulse energy, narrow spectral bandwidth, and linear chirp are given