0000000000350250
AUTHOR
Yuri O. Barmenkov
Ytterbium-doped fiber laser as pulsed source of narrowband amplified spontaneous emission
AbstractWe report random noise pulsed regime of an ytterbium-doped fiber laser arranged in common Fabry-Perot configuration. We show that the laser output obeys the photon statistics inherent to narrowband amplified spontaneous emission and that the noise pulsing is properly addressed in terms of probability density and autocorrelation functions. Our novel approach reveals, in particular, that the regime’s coherence time dramatically shortens, from few ns to tens ps, with increasing laser power.
Electrically tunable photonic true-time-delay line
We present a new application of the acousto-optic superlattice modulation of a fiber Bragg grating based on the dynamic phase and group delay properties of this fiber-optic component. We demonstrate a tunable photonic true-time-delay line based on the group delay change of the light reflected from the grating sidebands. The delay is electrically tuned by adjusting the voltage applied to a piezoelectric transducer that generates the acoustic wave propagating along the grating. In our experiments, a true-time delay of 400 ps is continuously adjusted (300 ps within the 3 dB amplitude range of the first sideband), using a 12 cm long uniform grating.
Spectroscopic Properties of Holmium-Aluminum-Germanium Co-doped Silica Fiber
We report the basic spectroscopic properties of a home-made holmium-aluminum-germanium co-doped silica fiber, designed for laser applications. We present the ground-state and excited-state absorpti...
Highly Efficient Holmium-Doped All-Fiber ∼2.07-μm Laser Pumped by Ytterbium-Doped Fiber Laser at ∼1.13 μm
We report a 2.07-μm Holmium-doped all-fiber laser (HDFL) pumped by a 1.13-μm Ytterbium-doped fiber laser (YDFL). Home-made alumino–germano–silicate holmium-doped fiber (HDF) served here as an active medium, optimized in terms of chemical composition and co-dopants’ concentrations. Laser action at 2.07 μm was assessed in simple Fabry–Perot cavity, formed by a couple of home-made fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), inscribed directly in the HDF; this allowed notable diminishing of intracavity loss of the 2.07-μm laser. HDF was in-core pumped by the 1.13-μm double-clad YDFL with a power of ∼12.5 W, in turn pumped in-clad by a laser diode (LD) operated at 0.97 μm with ∼24.5-W output. Using optimal len…
Effective length of short Fabry-Perot cavity formed by uniform fiber Bragg gratings
In this paper, we describe the properties of Fabry-Perot fiber cavity formed by two fiber Bragg gratings in terms of the grating effective length. We show that the grating effective length is determined by the group delay of the grating, which depends on its diffraction efficiency and physical length. We present a simple analytical formula for calculation of the effective length of the uniform fiber Bragg grating and the frequency separation between consecutive resonances of a Fabry-Perot cavity. Experimental results on the cavity transmission spectra for different values of the gratings' reflectivity support the presented theory.
ASE narrow‐band noise pulsing in erbium‐doped fiber amplifier and its effect on self‐phase modulation
In this paper, we report a study of the features of polarized and unpolarized narrow-band amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in a low-doped erbium fiber at 976-nm pumping. We demonstrate that ASE noise can be treated as a train of Gaussian-like pulses with random magnitudes, widths, and inter-pulse intervals. ASE noise can also provide a statistical analysis of these three parameters. We also present the data that reveal ASE noise’s role in optical spectrum broadening through self-phase modulation of light propagating in a communication fiber. In particular, the data show that the ASE noise derivative defines the broadening’s spectral shape.
Coexistence of quasi-CW and SBS-boosted selfQ-switched pulsing in ytterbium-doped fiber laser with low Q-factor cavity
We report the results of an experimental study of an ytterbium-doped fiber laser with low Q-factor cavity. We demonstrate that the laser operates in two randomly alternating sub-regimes, quasi-CW (QCW) and self-Q-switching (SQS), the latter ignited by stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). We show that probability of each sub-regime depends on pump power: QCW dominates slightly above the laser threshold while SQS pulsing prevails at higher pump powers. We also discuss the featuring details of QCW sub-regime and its role in instabilities (jittering) of SBS-boosted SQS pulsing as well as the statistical properties of the latter.
Influence of Cavity Loss Upon Performance of Q-Switched Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser
Performance of an actively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser in function of intracavity loss is discussed. We show experimentally and theoretically (employing a distributed model that takes into account two contra-propagating laser waves) that the laser performance strongly depends on the intracavity loss of different kinds. We reveal in particular that the dominant source of smaller than expected pulse energy is the loss via excited-state absorption, inherent in erbium-doped fibers. We also discuss the other important processes involved in active Q-switching, such as passive losses and residual active fiber charge, the impact of which is clarified by a straightforward comparison of the m…
Comparison of asymmetric and symmetric cavity configurations of erbium-doped fiber laser in active Q-switched regime
We present a comparative analysis of the dynamics of an actively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser assembled in two configurations of Fabry–Perot cavity, asymmetric and symmetric, specified by the location of an acousto-optic Q-switch modulator relative to the output couplers. In both configurations, the length of an active (Er3+-doped) fiber is chosen such that the laser does not spuriously emit at the moments when the modulator is blocked, which is important for the pulse-on-demand operation. We show experimentally that the symmetric cavity configuration permits enlarging of the active fiber length twice as compared to the asymmetric one, thereby increasing the energy and decreasing the…
Dynamic Bragg gratings induced in erbium-doped fiber at phase-Modulated beams' coupling
We present the results of an experimental study of dynamic amplitude and phase Bragg gratings induced in a heavy-doped erbium fiber at the wavelengths 1532 and 1538 nm under the 980-nm pumping. The technique of two phase-modulated beams' coupling was applied for an experimental measurement of the changes in refractive index and gain accompanying the gratings' formation in the fiber, and an analysis based on the Kramers-Kronig Relations for the fiber absorption/gain spectra and two-pass amplifying was performed for modeling these changes.
Power-dependent effective reflection of fiber Bragg grating as output coupler of Ytterbium-doped fiber laser
In this paper, we discuss the effective reflection of a fiber Bragg grating and its dependence on laser power when it is used as an output coupler of an ytterbium-doped fiber laser (here the effective reflection is considered to be a part of intracavity laser power reflected by the grating back to the laser cavity). We propose and discuss an experimental technique based on spectral and power analysis and derive simple formulae that permits one to obtain the intra-cavity power and the grating effective reflection. We show that, due to spectral broadening, the effective reflection dramatically decreases with increasing laser power, the effect precisely fitted using the derived formulae descri…
Application of WGM Resonances to the Measurement of the Temperature Increment of Ho and Ho-Yb Doped Optical Fibers Pumped at 1125 and 975 nm
Optical fiber characterization using whispering gallery mode resonances of the fiber itself has been demonstrated to be a powerful technique. In this work, we exploit the thermal sensitivity of whispering gallery mode resonances to characterize the pump-induced temperature increment in holmium doped and holmium-ytterbium codoped optical fibers. The technique relies on the measurement of the resonances’ wavelength shift due to temperature variation as a function of the pump power. Holmium doped fibers were pumped to the second excited level 5I6 of the Ho3+ ion using a laser diode at 1125 nm and ytterbium-holmium codoped fibers to the 2F5/2 level of the Yb3+ ion by a laser diode at 975 nm. Ou…
Noise fiber lasers
In this paper, we present a brief review of the noise operation mode of fiber lasers. These lasers were studied recently by collaborative group that includes researchers, professors, and Ph.D. students from the Centro de Investigaciones en Optica, A.C. (Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico) and from the Universidad de Valencia (Valencia, Spain). Meanwhile, the pioneer works in this topic important for understanding the physics behind fiber lasers’ operation and for practical applications were done with the active participation of Dr. Evgeny Kuzin from the Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica (Puebla, Mexico) and Dr. Georgina Beltrán-Pérez from the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de P…
Dual-kind Q-switching of erbium fiber laser
Two different regimes of Q-switching in the same implementation of an actively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser are demonstrated. Depending on the active fiber length and repetition rate of an intracavity Q-cell (acousto-optic modulator), the laser operates either in the regime of common, rather long and low-power, pulses composed of several sub-pulses or in the one of very short and powerful stimulated Brillouin scattering-induced pulses. The basic physical reason of the laser system to oscillate in one of these two regimes is the existence or absence of CW narrow-line “bad-cavity” lasing in the intervals when the Q-cell is blocked.
A distributed model for continuous-wave erbium-doped fiber laser
Abstract A distributed model of a continuous-wave erbium-doped fiber laser is discussed. The model is based on two contra-propagated traveling laser waves, and includes inhomogeneous pumping, excited state absorption at the pump and the laser wavelengths, amplified spontaneous emission and radial distribution of populations of erbium levels. It is shown that excited state absorption is a main limiting factor to the laser's efficiency. Moreover, consideration of radial distributions of erbium levels' populations in the model reduces laser efficiency and decreases optimal reflection of the laser output coupler. The modeling results are in excellent agreement with the experimental study on the…
An experimental analysis of self-Q-switching via stimulated Brillouin scattering in an ytterbium doped fiber laser
An experimental study of self-Q-switching (SQS) in an ytterbium doped fiber laser (YDFL) arranged using a twin-core GTWave assembly is reported. The main mechanisms that initiate, amplify, and limit SQS pulses in amplitude are revealed to be stimulated Brillouin and Raman scattering (SBS/SRS) and Yb3+ amplified spontaneous emission. The parameters featuring SQS oscillation in terms of efficiency and stability of pulsing are found to be intra-cavity loss and feedback strength. An analysis of the YDFL SQS regime?s features?pulsing time series, optical and RF spectra, amplitude and timing jitter?is provided for the two experimental situations: (i) when SQS pulsing stochastically intermits with…
Smart Q-switching for single-pulse generation in an erbium-doped fiber laser
In this paper, we report an active Q-switching of an erbium-doped fiber laser with special modulation functions and novel laser geometry. We experimentally demonstrate that using such a smart Q-switch approach, Q-switch ripple-free pulses with Gaussian-like shape and 17.3 ns width can be easily obtained. The idea behind the smart Q-switch is to suppress one of two laser waves contra-propagating along the fiber cavity, which arises after Q-cell opening, and to eliminate the minor sub-pulses.