Rational harmonic mode locking of an optically triggered fiber laser incorporating a nonlinear optical loop modulator

Author

Tang, W.W. ; Shu, C. ; Lee, K.L.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electron. Eng., Chinese Univ. of Hong Kong, Shatin, China

Volume

13

Issue

1

fYear

2001

Firstpage

16

Lastpage

18

Abstract

Rational harmonic mode locking is first demonstrated in an erbium-doped fiber laser using an all-optical approach. Both bright and dark pulse trains up to 4.58 GHz are obtained at 1.55 μm by adjusting the initial reflection state of the intracavity loop mirror. The nonlinear loop modulator serves as a mode locker and an adjustable end reflector in the laser. The setup is useful for optional bit-rate multiplication while providing a means for the conversion of wavelength, as well as the conversion between bright and dark pulses. The output wavelength is also tunable upon the adjustment of a cavity fiber Fabry-Perot filter.

Keywords

Fabry-Perot resonators; erbium; fibre lasers; laser cavity resonators; laser mirrors; laser mode locking; laser tuning; optical fibre filters; optical modulation; optical pulse generation; optical wavelength conversion; 1.55 mum; 4.58 GHz; Er-doped fiber laser; adjustable end reflector; all-optical approach; bright and dark pulse trains; bright pulses; cavity fiber Fabry-Perot filter; dark pulse trains; dark pulses; harmonic mode locking; initial reflection state; intracavity loop mirror; mode locker; nonlinear loop modulator; nonlinear optical loop modulator; optically triggered fiber laser; optional bit-rate multiplication; output wavelength; rational harmonic mode locking; wavelength conversion; Erbium-doped fiber lasers; Fiber nonlinear optics; Laser mode locking; Optical fibers; Optical filters; Optical modulation; Optical pulses; Optical reflection; Power harmonic filters; Wavelength conversion;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1041-1135

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/68.903206

Filename

903206