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Mode-locking of an Yb:Er fiber laser at 1.56µm

Mode-locking of an Yb:Er fiber laser at 1.56µm
Mode-locking of an Yb:Er fiber laser at 1.56µm
We describe the first operation of an actively mode-locked Er fiber laser at 1.56 µm. Short pulse laser sources operating in the 1.5 µm spectral range are needed for two reasons. First, current fiber optical communication systems operate in this spectral region because of the low loss of silica fibers. Second, 1.56 µm falls in the region of the negative group velocity dispersion (GVD) of silica. It is well known that by combining the effects of a Kerr nonlinearity to produce a frequency chirped pulse and negative GVD, significant pulse compression can be achieved. The laser we describe is of particular significance because it has all the ingredients needed to produce significant nonlinear propagation effects. In addition to operating at a suitable wavelength, the doped silica fiber already incorporates the Kerr nonlinearity and negative GVD. Thus, in contrast to other nonlinear laser systems which introduce an external cavity to produce the nonlinearity, in this laser the necessary nonlinear element is an integral part of the laser cavity. Currently the pulse peak powers in our laser are approaching the level at which nonlinear effects become significant.
Suni, P.J.
956e76db-fa4a-48d8-b894-2234f1c523a1
Hanna, D.C.
3da5a5b4-71c2-4441-bb67-21f0d28a187d
Kazer, A.
801fc963-5f03-4ea6-8d9c-910f7c5969c8
Phillips, M.W.
02fc598e-35d4-4c18-8752-f0bec31896c6
Shepherd, D.P.
9fdd51c4-39d6-41b3-9021-4c033c2f4ead
Suni, P.J.
956e76db-fa4a-48d8-b894-2234f1c523a1
Hanna, D.C.
3da5a5b4-71c2-4441-bb67-21f0d28a187d
Kazer, A.
801fc963-5f03-4ea6-8d9c-910f7c5969c8
Phillips, M.W.
02fc598e-35d4-4c18-8752-f0bec31896c6
Shepherd, D.P.
9fdd51c4-39d6-41b3-9021-4c033c2f4ead

Suni, P.J., Hanna, D.C., Kazer, A., Phillips, M.W. and Shepherd, D.P. (1989) Mode-locking of an Yb:Er fiber laser at 1.56µm. Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO '89 ), Baltimore, United States. 24 - 28 Apr 1989.

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

We describe the first operation of an actively mode-locked Er fiber laser at 1.56 µm. Short pulse laser sources operating in the 1.5 µm spectral range are needed for two reasons. First, current fiber optical communication systems operate in this spectral region because of the low loss of silica fibers. Second, 1.56 µm falls in the region of the negative group velocity dispersion (GVD) of silica. It is well known that by combining the effects of a Kerr nonlinearity to produce a frequency chirped pulse and negative GVD, significant pulse compression can be achieved. The laser we describe is of particular significance because it has all the ingredients needed to produce significant nonlinear propagation effects. In addition to operating at a suitable wavelength, the doped silica fiber already incorporates the Kerr nonlinearity and negative GVD. Thus, in contrast to other nonlinear laser systems which introduce an external cavity to produce the nonlinearity, in this laser the necessary nonlinear element is an integral part of the laser cavity. Currently the pulse peak powers in our laser are approaching the level at which nonlinear effects become significant.

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More information

Published date: April 1989
Additional Information: TUP5
Venue - Dates: Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO '89 ), Baltimore, United States, 1989-04-24 - 1989-04-28
Organisations: Physics & Astronomy

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 77567
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/77567
PURE UUID: 8e619238-2710-4e5d-aca5-d68b7026925d
ORCID for D.P. Shepherd: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4561-8184

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 11 Mar 2010
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:34

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Contributors

Author: P.J. Suni
Author: D.C. Hanna
Author: A. Kazer
Author: M.W. Phillips
Author: D.P. Shepherd ORCID iD

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