Generation of high-energy soliton-like pulses in 1.9–2.5 µ m spectral domain

Abstract: We experimentally demonstrate the generation of soliton-like pulses with 195–230 fs duration and energy up to 20 nJ in the spectral region of 1.9–2.5 µm directly from the Tm-doped all-fiber MOPA laser. The emerged Raman solitons generated directly in the fiber amplifier exhibit unusual dynamics and spectral properties forming a supercontinuum without conventional gaps between Stokes pulses. Namely, at the output powers above 2 W, in addition to conventional soliton spectral peaks beyond 2.3 μm, we observe high spectral density over an extended range of 1.95–2.23 μm corresponding to a coherent structure that to the best of our knowledge differs from any previously observed supercontinuum regimes. The average optical power of the fiber laser is at the 3-W level, whereas the estimated peak power reached the 80-kW level. Such a relatively simple laser system with high spectral density is a promising light source for various applications ranging from advanced comb spectroscopy to ultra-fast photonics

All-fiber optical supercontinuum sources in 1.7-3.2 μm range

We report supercontinuum generation in the 1.7-2.9 μm range with up to 3.08 W of output power and in the range of 1.93-3.18 μm with up to 3.8 W of output power from all-fiber MOPA pulsed systems with Tm-doped fiber mode-locked seed laser. Supercontinuum generation was demonstrated in nonlinear germanate fibers and fluoride (ZBLAN) fibers. The supercontinuum bandwidth reached 1250 nm at -10 dB level

YDFL operating in 1150-1200-nm spectral domain

A family of high-power Yb-doped fiber lasers operated in the range of 1150-1180 nm with output powers of up to 35 W and optical efficiencies up to 60% is realized. Operation at 1200 nm is also demonstrated. Amplified spontaneous emission increase with output power increase is analyzed in frames of the inhomogeneous broadening concept

Flat-top supercontinuum and tunable femtosecond fiber laser sources at 1.9-2.5 μm

We report the high-energy flat-top supercontinuum covering the mid-infrared wavelength range of 1.9-2.5 μm as well as electronically tunable femtosecond pulses between 1.98-2.22 μm directly from the thulium-doped fiber laser amplifier. Comparison of experimental results with numerical simulations confirms that both sources employ the same nonlinear optical mechanism - Raman soliton frequency shift occurring inside the Tm-fiber amplifier. To illustrate that, we investigate two versions of the compact diode-pumped SESAM mode-locked femtosecond thulium-doped all-silica-fiber-based laser system providing either broadband supercontinuum or tunable Raman soliton output, depending on the parameters of the system. The first system operates in the Raman soliton regime providing femtosecond pulses tunable between 1.98-2.22 μm. Wide and continuous spectral tunability over 240 nm was realized by changing only the amplifier pump diode current. The second system generates high-energy supercontinuum with the superior spectral flatness of better than 1 dB covering the wavelength range of 1.9-2.5 μm, with the total output energy as high as 0.284 μJ, the average power of 2.1 W at 7.5 MHz repetition rate. We simulate the amplifier operation in the Raman soliton self-frequency shift regime and discuss the role of induced Raman scattering in supercontinuum formation inside the fiber amplifier. We compare this system with a more traditional 1.85-2.53 μm supercontinuum source in the external highly-nonlinear commercial chalcogenide fiber using the Raman soliton MOPA as an excitation source. The reported systems1 can be readily applied to a number of industrial applications in the mid-IR, including sensing, stand-off detection, medical surgery and fine material processing

Waveguide-saturable absorber fabricated by femtosecond pulses in YAG:Cr4+ crystal for Q-switched operation of Yb-fiber laser

A waveguide-saturable absorber with low propagation loss is fabricated by femtosecond pulses in YAG:Cr4+ crystal. Q-switch operation of a Yb fiber laser with the new saturable absorber having absorption saturation parameters similar to the bulk YAG:Cr4+ crystal is demonstrated

Novel Y2O3-codoped Yb/Tm-doped picosecond fiber laser

We demonstrate the novel picosecond mode-locked Y2O 3-codoped Yb/Tm-doped fiber lasers, operating at 1950 nm and producing pulses of up to 1 nJ energy, using a SESAM and an Er-doped pump fiber laser operating at the wavelength 1590 nm or a semiconductor pump laser operating at the wavelength of 1560 nm. We also report on the spectroscopic characterization of these new fibers with various compositions, identifying the optimum one for the maximum Yb/Tm energy transfer, the latter increasing with the increase of the Y concentration. The observed energy transfer between Yb and Tm makes this laser promising also for direct diode-pumping with most advanced and low cost 975 nm diodes, making this laser attractive for compact low cost picosecond Tm-doped fiber laser systems

E-band Telecom-Compatible 40 dB Gain High-Power Bismuth-doped Fiber Amplifier with Record Power Conversion Efficiency

Multi-band transmission is one of the key practical solutions to cope with the continuously growing demand on the capacity of optical communication networks without changing the huge existing fiber base. However, ultra-broadband communication requires the development of novel power efficient optical amplifiers operating beyond C- and L-bands, and this is a major research and technical challenge comparable to the introduction of the seminal erbium-doped fiber amplifiers that dramatically changed the optical communication sector. There are several types of optical fibers operating beyond C- and L-bands that can be used for the development of such amplifiers, specifically the fibers doped with neodymium, praseodymium, thulium, and bismuth. However, among these, Bi-doped fibers are of special interest as the most promising amplification medium because, unlike the others, different Bi-associated active centers allow amplification in an enormous band of overall width of 700 nm (1100–1800 nm). Such spectral coverage can be obtained by using different host materials, such as aluminosilicate, phosphosilicate, silica, and germanosilicate glasses. Here, we report a novel Bi-doped fiber amplifier with record characteristics for E-band amplification, including the highest power conversion efficiency among telecom-compatible E-band amplifiers reported to date. This bismuth-doped fiber amplifier (BDFA) features a maximum gain of 39.8 dB and a minimal noise figure of 4.6 dB enabled by 173 m Bi-doped fiber length. The maximum achieved power conversion efficiency of 38% is higher than that of L-band Er-doped fiber amplifiers. This performance demonstrates the high potential of BDFA for becoming the amplifier of choice in modern multi-band optical communication networks

Emission decay and energy transfer in Yb/Tm Y-codoped fibers based on nano-modified glass

We report the results of an experimental investigation and theoretical analysis of luminescence decay in Yb/Tm Y-codoped fibers based on nano-modified glass. Based on the experimental results, numerical simulations allowed us to estimate the energy transfer efficiency between Yb3+ and Tm3+ ions. It was shown that yttria enhances the Yb/Tm energy transfer making fibers with Y-codoping a promising candidate for the development of light sources for laser applications and up-conversion emitters for visualization applications. These fibers demonstrate energy transfer efficiency of ∼50%, which makes them attractive for diode-pumping of Yb-ions at a wavelength of 975 nm

ArF laser induced refractive index and luminescence changes in Bi-doped aluminosilicate fibers - INVITED

Fibers doped with bismuth show broad luminescence bands around 750, 1100, and 1400 nm with spectral bandwidths of 100 to 200 nm at room temperature. The luminescence bands can be observed by pumping broad absorption bands in the visible or near infrared spectrum (around 500, 700, 800, 1000, and 1360 nm). Bismuth fiber laser action has been demonstrated using FBG in standard germanosilicate fibers as intra-core laser mirrors. In this work we report about the investigation of refractive index and luminescence changes of Bi-doped silica optical fibers under ArF irradiation. The Bi-doped fibers showed permanent photo-induced refractive index changes of ~2×10-4 and ~2×10-3 for pristine and H2-loaded fibers (Fig. 1), respectively. Such refractive index changes allow fabricating strong Bragg grating fiber laser reflectors directly in these fibers thus potentially improving the laser efficiency. Stress measurements of pristine and irradiated fibers indicate that the refractive index change is related to color centers and compaction for both pristine and H2-loaded fibers. The impact of pulsed 193-nm irradiation from an ArF excimer laser on absorption and luminescence of pristine and H2-loaded bismuth doped fibers was investigated. ArF irradiation increased the absorption strongly. At e.g. 400 nm the values changed from ~2 and ~3 dB/m to ~59 and ~174 dB/m for pristine and H2-loaded fiber, respectively. Light emission under visible Ar+ (454, 488, 514 nm), and Kr+-laser (567, 647, 676 nm) pumping was measured from 600 to1700 nm in a longitudinal arrangement. In all cases a particular strong increase in 1140 nm luminescence was measured for the H2-loaded fiber (Fig. 2). In side measurements under 1053 and 1357 nm pumping, 18 and >16 dB increase of the 1140 and 1400 nm luminescence for the H2-loaded fiber was observed. Decomposition into Gaussian bands suggests that H2-loading followed by ArF irradiation leads to the appearance of new bands in both the absorption and emission spectra