5 GHz fundamental repetition rate, wavelength tunable, all-fiber passively mode-locked Yb-fiber laser

Diode-pumped passively mode-locked femtosecond Yb:YLF laser at 1.1 GHz

We report femtosecond pulse generation at GHz repetition rates with the Yb:YLF gain medium for the first time. A simple, low-cost, and compact architecture is implemented for the potential usage of the system as a low-noise timing jitter source. The system is pumped by 250 mW, 960 nm single-mode diodes from both sides. The semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) mode-locked laser is self-starting and generates transform-limited 210 fs long pulses near 1050 nm. The laser's average output power is 40 mW, corresponding to a pulse energy of 36 pJ at 1.1 GHz repetition rate. The measured laser relative intensity noise (RIN) from 1 Hz to 1 MHz is 0.42%. The performance obtained in this initial work is limited by the specifications of the available optics and could be improved significantly by employing custom-designed optical elements.

Tailoring the Coefficient of Friction by Direct Laser Writing Surface Texturing

The modification of the surface topography at the micro- and nanoscale is a widely established as one of the best ways to engineering the surface of materials, to improve the tribological performances of materials in terms of load capacity and friction. The present paper reviews the state of the art on laser surface texturing by exploiting the technique of direct laser writing for tailoring the coefficient of friction, highlighting the effect of the textures' arrangement on the lubricated conformal and non-conformal contact behavior.

Ultrafast Yb:YAG laser oscillator with gigahertz repetition rate

We present a SESAM modelocked Yb:YAG solid-state laser providing low-noise narrowband pulses with a pulse duration of 606 fs at a 1.09-GHz repetition rate, delivering up to 2.5 W of average output power. This laser provides access to a new parameter space that could previously not be reached by solid-state lasers and, to the best of our knowledge, is the first modelocked solid-state Yb:YAG laser in the gigahertz regime. This is achieved by introducing a single additional intracavity element, specifically a nonlinear birefringent YVO4 crystal, for soliton formation, polarization selection, and cavity intensity clamping. The isotropic pump absorption in Yb:YAG allows for stable and low-noise operation with multimode fiber pumping. This laser is ideally suited as a seed source for many commercial high-power Yb-doped amplification systems operating at a center wavelength around 1.03 µm. The laser exhibits a high power per comb line of 5.0 mW which also makes it interesting for applications in frequency comb spectroscopy, especially if it is used to pump an optical parametric oscillator. We measure a relative intensity noise (RIN) of 0.03%, integrated from 1 Hz to 10 MHz. Furthermore, we show that the laser timing jitter for noise frequencies >2 kHz is fully explained by a power-dependent shift in the center wavelength of 0.38 nm/W due to the quasi-three-level laser gain material. The narrow gain bandwidth of Yb:YAG reduces this contribution to noise in comparison to other SESAM modelocked Yb-doped lasers.

High ytterbium concentration Yb/Al/P/Ce co-doped silica fiber for 1-µm ultra-short cavity fiber laser application

We demonstrate a high ytterbium concentration Yb/Al/P/Ce co-doped silica fiber by conventional modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) technology and solution doping process. The fiber has a Yb concentration of about 2.5 wt%, and the corresponding core absorption coefficient is measured to be ∼1400 dB/m at 976 nm. The gain coefficient was measured to be approximately 1.0 dB/cm. It is found that the Yb/Al/P/Ce co-doped silica shows a lower photodarkening-induced equilibrium loss of 52 dB/m at 633 nm than the Yb/Al/P co-doped silica fiber of 117 dB/m. Using the heavily Yb3+-doped silica fiber, a compact and robust ultrashort cavity single-frequency fiber laser was achieved with a maximum output power of 75 mW and a linewidth of 14 kHz. Furthermore, a compact passively mode-locked fiber laser (MLFL) with a repetition rate of 1.23 GHz was also proposed using our developed Yb-doped fiber. The laser properties of the proposed lasers were systematically investigated, demonstrating the superior performance of this fiber in terms of photodarkening resistance and ultrashort-cavity laser application. Furthermore, utilizing an all-fiber structure based on silica-based fiber offers the significant advantage of high stability and reliability.

Generation of sub-100 fs pulses from a SESAM-NPE hybrid mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser at a fundamental repetition rate of 1.15 GHz

Supercontinuum generation via direct pumping of unamplified high-repetition-rate, sub-100 fs pulses with a pulse energy lower than 50 pJ is superior in noise performance and features a high acquisition speed. We demonstrate a novel, to the best of our knowledge, gigahertz-repetition-rate, mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser, where the hybrid mode-locking approach is employed. The laser has a low initiating threshold of 300 mW and a broad mode-locking range of 600 mW (300-900 mW) in terms of pump power. The shortest obtained pulse width of the laser after compression is 95 fs, and the highest output pulse energy is 92.9 pJ at a fundamental repetition rate of 1.15 GHz. Moreover, the laser's output polarization states are switchable, and it has a polarization extinction ratio of 17.9 dB.

Theoretical and experimental investigations of dispersion-managed, polarization-maintaining 1-GHz mode-locked fiber lasers

High-repetition-rate (up to GHz) femtosecond mode-locked lasers have attracted significant attention in many applications, such as broadband spectroscopy, high-speed optical sampling, and so on. In this paper, the characteristics of dispersion-managed, polarization-maintaining (PM) 1-GHz mode-locked fiber lasers were investigated both experimentally and numerically. Three compact and robust 1-GHz fiber lasers operating at anomalous, normal, and near-zero dispersion regimes were demonstrated, respectively. The net dispersion of the linear cavity is adjusted by changing types of PM erbium-doped fibers (EDFs) and semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors (SESAMs) in the cavity. Moreover, the long-term stability of the three mode-locked fiber lasers is proved without external control. In order to better understand the mode-locking dynamics of lasers, a numerical model was constructed for analysis of the 1-GHz fiber laser. Pulse evolution simulations have been carried out for soliton, dissipative-soliton, and stretched-pulse mode-locking regimes under different net dispersion conditions. Experimental results are basically in agreement with the numerical simulations.

Environment-stable sub-100 fs Er: fiber laser with a 3 dB bandwidth of 78 nm

A robust all polarization-maintaining (PM) passively mode-locked Er-doped fiber laser is demonstrated based on the biased nonlinear amplifier loop mirror (NALM). With a π/2 nonreciprocal free-space phase shifter, stable single pulse mode locking can be obtained at the central wavelength of 1565.7 nm with a 3 dB spectral bandwidth of 24.6 nm in the soliton regime. The repetition rate of the pulse train is 98.13 MHz. The direct output pulse duration is 109 fs, which is nearly transform-limited. After the intracavity dispersion management, the robust self-started mode-locking in the stretched-pulse regime is realized at 1564 nm, and the 3 dB spectral bandwidth reaches up to 78 nm. The repetition rate of the pulse train is 199.6 MHz. In particular, the direct output pulse width is only 77 fs with a low integrated relative intensity noise (RIN) of only 0.0044% (integrated from 1 Hz to 1 MHz). To the best of our knowledge, this is the shortest pulse width directly from the all-PM NALM laser oscillator.

GHz-repetition-rate fundamentally mode-locked, isolator-free ring cavity Yb-doped fiber lasers with SESAM mode-locking

A novel fundamentally mode-locked, GHz-repetition-rate ring cavity Yb-doped femtosecond fiber laser is demonstrated, which utilizes polarization-maintaining gain fiber and is enable by SESAM mode-locking. Thanks to the isolator-free structure, the ring cavity laser is operated bidirectionally and the two polarization-multiplexed output pulse trains are demonstrated synchronous. As a result, tunable waveforms one of which is with reduced pedestal and shorter pulse width in comparison with each individual, are generated by combination of the two orthogonal-polarized output pulses. Furthermore, a similar ring cavity structure that generates GHz picosecond pulses is demonstrated. We believe such high-repetition-rate polarization-multiplexed mode-locked fiber lasers could find further uses in various applications in need of gigahertz repetition rate and tunable waveforms.

Characterizing core-shell nanostructures through photoacoustic response based on theoretical model in the frequency domain

Core-shell nanostructures are widely used, and their photoacoustic (PA) properties are important for applications. However, the relations between their structural parameters and the properties of the PA spectrum are indirect because most theoretical models have been reported for them in the time domain. In this study, we develop a complete model in the frequency domain to analyze the PA response of core-shell particles. As in the case of solid spheres, the core-shell particles have pronounced resonant modes. The PA mode varies with the thickness of the shell and the radius of the core. Under single-pulse irradiation, PA signals of gold-silica nanospheres obtained by our theory agreed with those of the theory in the time domain and experiments. Under multi-pulse irradiation, the magnitude of the PA signals peaked whether the repeated excitation itself or its harmonic was equal to the PA mode. The structure could thus be monitored by the PA signals. These findings enrich PA theory and may inspire new techniques for the noninvasive characterization of nanoparticles.

High-power nonlinear amplification of an ultrafast electro-optic frequency comb with flexible GHz repetition rate

We report on an all-fiber 200 W widely tunable GHz electro-optic (EO) frequency comb operating in the nonlinear regime. The EO comb pulses at 1030 nm are initially pre-compressed to sub-2 ps, then power amplified to 2.5 W, and finally boosted to 200 W in a newly designed large-mode-area, Yb-doped photonic crystal fiber. Continuously tunable across 12-18 GHz, the picosecond pulses experience nonlinear propagation in the last amplifier, leading to output pulses compressible down to several hundreds of femtoseconds. To push our system deeper into nonlinear amplification regime, the pulse repetition rate is further reduced to 2 GHz, enabling significant spectral broadening at 200 W. Characterization reveals sub-200 fs duration after compression. The present EO-comb seeded nonlinear amplification system opens a new route to the development of high-power, tunable GHz-repetition-rate, femtosecond fiber lasers.

2.5 GHz harmonic mode locking from a femtosecond Yb-doped fiber laser with high fundamental repetition rate

We experimentally demonstrated a high repetition rate harmonic mode-locked fiber laser with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and super mode suppression ratio. A novel approach using a laser with a high fundamental repetition rate and low harmonic order was presented. 2.5 GHz harmonic mode-locking from an Yb-doped fiber laser was realized with a short cavity length corresponding to a 167 MHz fundamental repetition rate. The laser operated at anomalous net dispersion regime and generated soliton-like pulses at 1050 nm. At the harmonic order of 15th, the laser had a stable output of 773 fs at 2.5 GHz with the average power of 48 mW under a subwatt pump power of 406 mW, and the time jitter was 2 ps. A high RF SNR over 70 dB was measured. A super mode suppression ratio was confirmed larger than 60 dB. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest SNR and super mode suppression ratio achieved in harmonic mode-locked fiber lasers with an over 2 GHz repetition rate.

Vector soliton dynamics in a high-repetition-rate fiber laser

The existence of vector solitons that arise from the birefringence nature of optical fibers has been increasingly of interest for the stability of mode-locked fiber lasers, particularly for those operating in the high-fundamental-repetition-rate regime, where a large amount of fiber birefringence is required to restore the phase relation between the orthogonally polarized vector solitons, resulting in stable mode-locking free of polarization rotation. These vector solitons can exhibit diverse time-varying polarization dynamics, which prevent industrial and scientific applications requiring stable and uniform pulse trains at high fundamental repetition rates. This pressing issue, however, has so far been rarely studied. To this end, here we theoretically and experimentally dissect the formation of vector solitons in a GHz-repetition-rate fiber laser and investigate effective methods for suppressing roundtrip-to-roundtrip polarization dynamics. Our numerical model can predict both dynamic and stable regimes of high-repetition-rate mode-locking by varying the amount of fiber birefringence, resulting in the polarization rotation vector soliton (PRVS) and linearly polarized soliton (LPS), respectively. These dynamic behaviors are further studied by using an analytical approach. Interestingly, our theoretical results indicate a cavity-induced locking effect, which can be a complementary soliton trapping mechanism for the co-propagating solitons. Finally, these theoretical predications are experimentally verified, and we obtain both PRVS and LPS by adjusting the intracavity fiber birefringence.

Microfiber-assisted gigahertz harmonic mode-locking in ultrafast fiber laser

Optoacoustic interaction can be strongly enhanced in tiny core fibers, and it holds significant potential for stable harmonic mode-locking at gigahertz (GHz) and higher repetition rate. In this Letter, we propose and demonstrate a microfiber-assisted GHz harmonic mode-locking fiber laser, which is achieved by the enhanced optomechanical coupling between cavity modes in microfiber with the waist length of ∼16cm and the waist diameter of ∼1.56µm. The repetition rates can be stably locked at 2.3828 GHz and predominately locked at 1.7852 GHz, corresponding to the frequencies of radial R₀₁ and torsional-radial TR₂₁ acoustic modes, respectively. Our results provide novel insight into the design of a high-repetition-rate laser source and the application of microfibers in the optomechanical field.

Intracavity birefringence-controlled GHz-tuning range passively harmonic mode-locked fiber laser based on NPR

We experimentally demonstrate a harmonic-order controllable L-band Er-doped passively mode-locked fiber laser based on nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR). Distinct from all previous reports, we find that the intracavity birefringence is able to control the harmonic order of a passively mode-locked fiber laser. Experimentally, under a constant pump power of 704 mW, the harmonic order can be tuned from 113th to 39th monotonically by adjusting the polarization controller orientation only. The corresponding repetition rate changes from 2.21 to 0.77 GHz simultaneously. Remarkably, the super-mode suppression ratio of each harmonic order we observed is higher than 29 dB with a maximum of 36.5 dB. Simulated transmission spectra of NPR prove that the changed transmission plays an important role in controlling the harmonic order.

Ultrafast Fiber Lasers: An Expanding Versatile Toolbox

Ultrafast fiber lasers have gained rapid advances in last decades for their intrinsic merits such as potential of all-fiber format, excellent beam quality, superior power scalability, and high single-pass gain, which opened widespread applications in high-field science, laser machining, precision metrology, optical communication, microscopy and spectroscopy, and modern ophthalmology, to name a few. Performance of an ultrafast fiber laser is well defined by the laser parameters including repetition rate, spectral bandwidth, pulse duration, pulse energy, wavelength tuning range, and average power. During past years, these parameters have been pushed to an unprecedented level. In this paper, we review these enabling technologies and explicitly show that the nonlinear interaction between ultrafast pulses and optical fibers plays the essential role. As a result of rapid development in both active and passive fibers, the toolbox of ultrafast fiber lasers will continue to expand and provide solutions to scientific and industrial problems.

Broadband 2 μm amplified spontaneous emission of Ho/Cr/Tm:YAG crystal derived all-glass fibers for mode-locked fiber laser applications

Broadband ∼2  μm amplified spontaneous emissions with a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) varying from ∼206 to ∼234  nm were obtained from the Ho/Cr/Tm:yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) crystal derived fibers, which were drawn using a molten core method. The core-cladding structure of the as-drawn fibers was preserved completely, and the core was found to be amorphous. What is more, an all-fiber-integrated passively mode-locked laser based on an 8 cm long Ho/Cr/Tm:YAG crystal derived all-glass fiber was built which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first demonstration of a mode-locked fiber laser in a similar YAG derived fiber. The mode-locked pulses operate at 1.95 μm with duration of ∼118  ps, and the repetition rate is ∼9.5  MHz. Limited by the bandwidth of the fiber grating used in the laser cavity, the mode-locking spectrum has a relatively narrow FWHM of ∼0.09  nm. These results suggest that the broadband YAG crystal derived all-glass fibers are promising for ultrafast fiber lasers applications.

Numerical investigation of GHz repetition rate fundamentally mode-locked all-fiber lasers

GHz repetition rate fundamentally mode-locked lasers have attracted great interest for a variety of scientific and practical applications. A passively mode-locked laser in all-fiber format has the advantages of high stability, maintenance-free operation, super compactness, and reliability. In this paper, we present numerical investigation on passive mode-locking of all-fiber lasers operating at repetition rates of 1-20 GHz. Our calculations show that the reflectivity of the output coupler, the small signal gain of the doped fiber, the total net cavity dispersion, and the modulation depth of the saturable absorber are the key parameters for producing stable fundamentally mode-locked pulses at GHz repetition rates in very short all-fiber linear cavities. The instabilities of GHz repetition rate fundamentally mode-locked all-fiber lasers with different parameters were calculated and analyzed. Compared to a regular MHz repetition rate mode-locked all-fiber laser, the pump power range for the mode-locking of a GHz repetition rate all-fiber laser is much larger due to the several orders of magnitude lower accumulated nonlinearity in the fiber cavity. The presented numerical study provides valuable guidance for the design and development of highly stable mode-locked all-fiber lasers operating at GHz repetition rates.

Gain-guided soliton: Scaling repetition rate of passively modelocked Yb-doped fiber lasers to 12.5 GHz

Fundamental repetition rates of 3.1 GHz, 7.0 GHz, and 12.5 GHz in passively modelocked Yb-doped fiber lasers are demonstrated. To the best of our knowledge, the fundamental repetition rate of 12.5 GHz is the highest value for 1.0 μm mode-locked fiber lasers. The mode-locked oscillator has a peak wavelength of 1047.5 nm and a pulse duration of 1.9 ps. The repetition rate signal has a signal-to-noise ratio of 57 dB. The peak wavelength of mode-locked spectra gradually makes a blue-shift and the modelocked threshold power increases with an increase in pulse repetition rate. Furthermore, in contrast to most of the all-normal-dispersion mode-locked fiber lasers, the present linear resonator (e.g., length < 1 cm) allows the buildup of gain-guided soliton without any filter effect. To unveil the underlying pulse shaping mechanism, a combined model comprising dynamic rate equations and the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation is established. Surprisingly, an essential gain filtering effect, which is contributed by a 26-nm gain bandwidth, is revealed and can verify the gain-guided pulse dynamics. Moreover, the pulse build-up in temporal and frequency domain, like spectral evolution and gain bandwidths, is numerically carried out in detail.

Compact low-noise passively mode-locked Er-doped femtosecond all-fiber laser with 2.68 GHz fundamental repetition rate

A passively mode-locked Er-doped fiber laser with a fundamental repetition rate of 2.68 GHz is reported. The oscillator operating at a central wavelength of 1558.35 nm has a compact, robust structure and low-noise performance. The timing jitter integrated from 30 MHz down to 300 Hz is 82.5 fs, and the timing jitter performance is analyzed based on the theory model. The amplification and compression of the high repetition rate optical pulses are also investigated. After a three-stage amplifier, the average power is boosted to 430 mW. Meanwhile, based on the nonlinear self-phase modulation effect, the spectral bandwidth is broadened from 7.56 to 19.2 nm, and the corresponding pulse width is compressed to 244 fs.

Robust 700 MHz mode-locked Yb:fiber laser with a biased nonlinear amplifying loop mirror

We demonstrate a self-starting 700 MHz repetition rate Yb:fiber laser incorporated with a phase biased nonlinear amplifying loop mirror as an artificial saturable absorber. The laser delivers a maximum power of 150 mW and a pulse width of 215 fs at a pump power of 710 mW. The integration of relative intensity noise (RIN) between 10 Hz and 10 MHz results in a minimum integrated RIN of 0.015%. The phase noise of the fundamental repetition rate was also characterized at different net-cavity dispersion. Although the laser is made of nonpolarization maintaining fiber, the mode locking sustains over two weeks in open air, showing its environmental stability.

Scaling the repetition rate of thulium-doped ultrafast soliton fiber lasers to the GHz regime

GHz high repetition rate compact sources with femtosecond pulse durations and stable performance can enable a wide range of applications. In this paper, several high repetition rate ultrafast thulium fiber lasers with repetition rates varying between 532 MHz to 1.25 GHz are demonstrated with femtosecond pulse durations down to 426 fs. An approach of maintaining comparable pulse energies while scaling the repetition rates allows high-quality femtosecond mode-locking performance with low noise performance in thulium soliton lasers for the first time.

High-repetition-rate ultrafast fiber lasers

Multi-gigahertz fundamental repetition rate, tunable repetition rate and wavelength, ultrafast fiber lasers at wavelengths of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 µm are experimentally demonstrated and summarized. At the wavelength of 1.0 µm, the laser wavelength is tuned in the range of 1040.1-1042.9 nm and the repetition rate is shifted by 226 kHz in a 3-cm-long all-fiber laser by controlling the temperature of the resonator. Compared with a previous work where the maximum average power was 0.8 mW, the power in this study is significantly improved to 57 mW under a launched pump power of 213 mW, thus achieving an optical-to-optical efficiency of 27%. For comparison, a similar temperature-tuning technique is implemented in a Tm³⁺-doped ultrafast oscillator but, as expected, it results in a broader tunable range of 14.1 nm (1974.1-1988.2 nm) in wavelength as compared with the value of 1.8 nm for the wavelength of 1.0 µm. The repetition rate in the process is shifted by 294 kHz. For the high-frequency range from 100 kHz to 10 MHz, the value of integrated timing jitter gradually increases with an increase in temperature. Finally, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time, a new method for tuning wavelength and repetition rate is proposed and demonstrated for a femtosecond fiber laser at the wavelength of 1.5 µm. Through fine rotation of the alignment angle between the Er/Yb:glass fiber and a semiconductor saturable absorption mirror, the peak wavelength can be tuned in the range of 1591.4-1586.1 nm and the repetition rate is shifted by 60 kHz.

Centimeter-scale Yb-free heavily Er-doped silica fiber laser

The laser behavior of a centimeter-scale Er³⁺/Al³⁺ codoped silica fiber with core numerical aperture and core diameter of 0.15 and 8 μm, respectively, is reported. The core glass was prepared by the sol-gel method combined with high-temperature sintering; it contained Er³⁺ ion concentration as high as 1.32×10²⁰  ions/cm³ and an Al/Er mole ratio of 10. The high doping homogeneity of Er³⁺ ions in the fiber core was confirmed by an electron probe microanalyzer element scanning, long Er³⁺:  I_13/24 emission lifetime of 11.4 ms, and low refractive index fluctuation of fiber core (±1×10^-4). The signal gain of fibers with 4.6 cm, 10 cm, and 16 cm lengths was tested in the 1500-1620 nm range. A gain of 7 dB is achieved at 1560 nm in a 16-cm-long EDF under 230 mW pump power. Aimed for CO₂ sensor application, the laser behavior of Er/Al codoped fiber was tested at 1572 nm. A slope efficiency of 12% and an output power of 15 mW were achieved in a 10-cm-long fiber under 166 mW absorbed pump power. The newly developed silica fiber is promising for use in high-repetition-rate lasers.

Composite filtering effect in a SESAM mode-locked fiber laser with a 3.2-GHz fundamental repetition rate: switchable states from single soliton to pulse bunch

States that are switchable from single soliton to pulse bunch in a compact semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) mode-locked fiber laser with a fundamental repetition rate of 3.2 GHz are experimentally investigated and further studied via simulations. A composite filtering effect comprising an intracavity low-finesse Fabry-Perot (FP) filter, an artificial optical low-pass filter, and a gain filter implements the state switching to pulse bunch. A numerical model is proposed to clarify the mechanism underlying the switching. It reveals that, for pulse interval ∆T > τA (relaxation time of the SESAM) in a pulse bunch, the laser operates in pulse-bound build up. In an inverse mechanism the state returns to single soliton, in which the ∆T is obtained from the free spectral range Ωc of the intracavity FP filter by mechanically controlling the distance between the SESAM and gain fiber. This pulse bunch regime of operation ought to be amenable to a quasi-steady-state treatment. It represents an alternative emergence trait in the temporal domain between a main soliton with strong sidelobes in both sides and a bound soliton pair with weak sub-sidelobes. Another profile of the pulse bunch state is that the side peak amplitude in the autocorrelation trace is more than 50%, which is distinct and larger than that in the conventional bound state regime in fiber lasers. The optical spectra, radio frequency spectra, and frequency chirp are further analyzed. These numerical results agree well with the experimental ones within the variation range of the crucial values of Ωc and enable the explicit understanding of such behavior in SESAM mode-locked high-repetition-rate fiber lasers.