Microfiber-based, highly nonlinear graphene saturable absorber for formation of versatile structural soliton molecules in a fiber laser

Wavelength-switchable and multi-pulse bound state based on a hybrid mode-locked mechanism

Relying on the nonlinear multimode interference in multimode fibers and the nonlinear polarization rotation, these two mode-locked techniques are combined in our proposed fiber laser. Stable optical soliton and multi-pulse regimes with a constant frequency of 11.44 MHz have been generated experimentally. Through altering intra-cavity conditions, bound-state pulses with diverse properties are observed. To the best of our knowledge, the obtained bound-state pulse constituted by more than thirty sub-pulses is achieved for the first time. Moreover, the center wavelength of bound-state pulse could be switched in a certain range covering the entire C band.

Nonlinear Optical Properties of Zirconium Diselenide and Its Ultra-Fast Modulator Application

Recently, two-dimensional (2D) materials have been widely studied by researchers due to their exceptional 2D structure and excellent optical characteristics. As one of the typically-layered 2D transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductors from group IVB with a bandgap value of 0.9–1.2 eV (bulk to monolayer), the characteristics of zirconium diselenide (ZrSe₂) have already been extensively investigated in many fields. However, the nonlinear absorption properties of ZrSe₂ in ultra-fast lasers have not been previously demonstrated. In this work, we measured various parameters in order to investigate the characteristics of the nonlinear saturable absorption of ZrSe₂. A ZrSe₂–polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film was successfully prepared, which was employed as a saturable absorber (SA) to demonstrate, for the first time, an erbium (Er)-doped passive mode-locking fiber laser with a ring cavity. The saturation intensity of the ZrSe₂–PVA film-type SA is 12.72 MW/cm², while its modulation depth is 2.3%. The stable soliton state with a maximum output power of 11.37 mW and a narrowest monopulse duration of 12.5 ps at a repetition frequency of 21.22 MHz was detected. The experimental results conclusively proved that ZrSe₂, with its suitable bandgap value and excellent nonlinear absorption properties, as well as its high damage threshold, should have extensive potential applications within the field of ultra-fast pulse lasers.

Synthesis of high quality silver nanowires and their applications in ultrafast photonics

Silver nanowires are widely used in catalysts, surface enhanced Raman scattering, microelectronic equipment, thin film solar cells, microelectrodes and biosensors for their excellent conductivity, heat transfer, low surface resistance, high transparency and good biocompatibility. However, the optical nonlinearity of silver nanowires has not been further explored yet. In this paper, three silver nanowire samples with different concentrations are produced via a typical hydrothermal method. Their applications to fiber lasers are implemented to prove the optical nonlinearity of silver nanowires for the first time. Based on three kinds of silver nanowires, the mode-locked operation of fiber lasers is successfully realized. Moreover, the fiber laser based on the silver nanowire with a concentration of 2 mg/L demonstrates the shortest pulse duration of 149.3 fs. The experiment not only proves the optical nonlinearity of silver nanowires, but also has some enlightenment on the selection of the optimum concentration of silver nanowires in the consideration of ultrashort pulse output.

Tungsten diselenide for all-fiber lasers with the chemical vapor deposition method

Two-dimensional materials have become the focus of research for their photoelectric properties, and are employed as saturable absorption materials. Currently, the challenge is how to further improve the modulation depth of saturable absorbers (SAs) based on two-dimensional materials. In this paper, three kinds of WSe2 films with different thicknesses are prepared using the chemical vapor deposition method. The nonlinear optical responses of the WSe2 films including the nonlinear saturable absorption and nonlinear refractive index are characterized by the double-balanced detection method and Z-scan experiments. Different modulation depths are successfully obtained by controlling the thickness of the WSe2 films. We further incorporate them into an all-fiber laser to generate mode-locked pulses. The mode-locked fiber lasers with a pulse duration of 185 fs, 205.7 fs and 230.3 fs are demonstrated when the thickness of the WSe2 films is measured to be 1.5 nm, 5.7 nm and 11 nm, respectively. This work provides new prospects for WSe2 in ultrafast photonic device applications.

Graphene-clad microfibre saturable absorber for ultrafast fibre lasers

Graphene, whose absorbance is approximately independent of wavelength, allows broadband light–matter interactions with ultrafast responses. The interband optical absorption of graphene can be saturated readily under strong excitation, thereby enabling scientists to exploit the photonic properties of graphene to realize ultrafast lasers. The evanescent field interaction scheme of the propagating light with graphene covered on a D-shaped fibre or microfibre has been employed extensively because of the nonblocking configuration. Obviously, most of the fibre surface is unused in these techniques. Here, we exploit a graphene-clad microfibre (GCM) saturable absorber in a mode-locked fibre laser for the generation of ultrafast pulses. The proposed all-surface technique can guarantee a higher efficiency of light–graphene interactions than the aforementioned techniques. Our GCM-based saturable absorber can generate ultrafast optical pulses within 1.5 μm. This saturable absorber is compatible with current fibre lasers and has many merits such as low saturation intensities, ultrafast recovery times, and wide wavelength ranges. The proposed saturable absorber will pave the way for graphene-based wideband photonics.

Successive soliton explosions in an ultrafast fiber laser

Soliton explosions, as one of the most fascinating nonlinear phenomena in dissipative systems, have been investigated in different branches of physics, including the ultrafast laser community. Herein, we reported on the soliton dynamics of an ultrafast fiber laser from steady state to soliton explosions, and to huge explosions by simply adjusting the pump power level. In particular, the huge soliton explosions show that the exploding behavior could operate in a sustained, but periodic, mode from one explosion to another, which we term as "successive soliton explosions." The experimental results will prove to be fruitful to the various communities interested in soliton explosions.

Graphene-deposited microfiber photonic device for ultrahigh-repetition rate pulse generation in a fiber laser

We report on the generation of a high-repetition-rate pulse in a fiber laser using a graphene-deposited microfiber photonic device (GMPD) and a Fabry-Perot filter. Taking advantage of the unique nonlinear optical properties of the GMPD, dissipative four-wave mixing effect (DFWM) could be induced at low pump power. Based on DFWM mode-locking mechanism, the fiber laser delivers a 100 GHz repetition rate pulse train. The results indicate that the small sized GMPD offers an alternative candidate of highly nonlinear optical component to achieve high-repetition rate pulses, and also opens up possibilities for the investigation of other abundant nonlinear effects or related fields of photonics.