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Simulations and experiments showing the origin of multi-wavelength mode locking in femtosecond, Yb-fiber lasers

Simulations and experiments showing the origin of multi-wavelength mode locking in femtosecond, Yb-fiber lasers
Simulations and experiments showing the origin of multi-wavelength mode locking in femtosecond, Yb-fiber lasers
A stable and self-starting femtosecond breathing-pulse Yb-fiber oscillator is reported, modelocked using the nonlinear polarisation evolution mechanism. A bifurcation between two distinct modes of operation is demonstrated experimentally, producing pulses with a single central wavelength in one state, or following adjustment of the intra-cavity waveplates, the emission of pulses with three distinct central wavelengths. The maximum bandwidth was 72 nm at the -10 dB level and the pulses were compressible externally to 70 fs with energies of 0.75 nJ. The multi-wavelength pulses reported here are significantly shorter than the pico-second pulses previously observed from similar modelocked multi-wavelength sources. Vector simulations based on the nonlinear Schrödinger equation show that the multi-wavelength behaviour is produced by overdriving the nonlinear polarisation evolution based saturable absorber at the peak of the pulse, leading to transmission of the two wings of the strongly chirped pulse. This new insight shows clearly that the three pulses output in the multi-wavelength state are coherent. The agreement between simulation and experimental data shows nonlinear polarisation evolution based modelocked fiber lasers are a suitable platform for studying the nonlinear dynamics underlying the bifurcation of the output.
0740-3224
Feehan, James S.
8cd61da3-a8ac-4373-b785-36c8806f2047
Ilday, F. Omer
ffc29e05-1717-4a28-8cbd-fa20de17aa76
Brocklesby, William S.
c53ca2f6-db65-4e19-ad00-eebeb2e6de67
Price, Jonathan H.V.
fddcce17-291b-4d01-bd38-8fb0453abdc8
Feehan, James S.
8cd61da3-a8ac-4373-b785-36c8806f2047
Ilday, F. Omer
ffc29e05-1717-4a28-8cbd-fa20de17aa76
Brocklesby, William S.
c53ca2f6-db65-4e19-ad00-eebeb2e6de67
Price, Jonathan H.V.
fddcce17-291b-4d01-bd38-8fb0453abdc8

Feehan, James S., Ilday, F. Omer, Brocklesby, William S. and Price, Jonathan H.V. (2016) Simulations and experiments showing the origin of multi-wavelength mode locking in femtosecond, Yb-fiber lasers. Journal of the Optical Society of America B. (doi:10.1364/JOSAB.33.001668).

Record type: Article

Abstract

A stable and self-starting femtosecond breathing-pulse Yb-fiber oscillator is reported, modelocked using the nonlinear polarisation evolution mechanism. A bifurcation between two distinct modes of operation is demonstrated experimentally, producing pulses with a single central wavelength in one state, or following adjustment of the intra-cavity waveplates, the emission of pulses with three distinct central wavelengths. The maximum bandwidth was 72 nm at the -10 dB level and the pulses were compressible externally to 70 fs with energies of 0.75 nJ. The multi-wavelength pulses reported here are significantly shorter than the pico-second pulses previously observed from similar modelocked multi-wavelength sources. Vector simulations based on the nonlinear Schrödinger equation show that the multi-wavelength behaviour is produced by overdriving the nonlinear polarisation evolution based saturable absorber at the peak of the pulse, leading to transmission of the two wings of the strongly chirped pulse. This new insight shows clearly that the three pulses output in the multi-wavelength state are coherent. The agreement between simulation and experimental data shows nonlinear polarisation evolution based modelocked fiber lasers are a suitable platform for studying the nonlinear dynamics underlying the bifurcation of the output.

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Accepted/In Press date: 27 June 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 15 July 2016
Organisations: Optoelectronics Research Centre

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 397767
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/397767
ISSN: 0740-3224
PURE UUID: 1a8434bb-5310-4a04-ab9b-05f4200080d9
ORCID for William S. Brocklesby: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2123-6712
ORCID for Jonathan H.V. Price: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0256-9172

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Date deposited: 07 Jul 2016 09:04
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 05:43

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Contributors

Author: James S. Feehan
Author: F. Omer Ilday
Author: Jonathan H.V. Price ORCID iD

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