Multiple-soliton dynamic patterns in a graphene mode-locked fiber laser

Abstract

Multiple-soliton dynamic patterns have been observed experimentally in an erbium-doped fiber ring laser with graphene as a saturable absorber. Under relatively low pumping power we have obtained disordered multiple-solitons, bunched solitons and high order harmonic mode locking by adjusting the orientation of the polarization controllers. With increased pumping power, we have also observed flow of solitons. We have experimentally investigated in detail the conditions under which these patterns form.

High-energy, tunable-wavelengths, Q-switched pulse laser

“…Zhang [21]. Recently, our research group has produced the graphene SA and has experimentally observed multiple-solitons dynamic patterns in the graphene mode-locked EDFL [23,24]. However, to the best our knowledge, up to now, there have been no reports of broadband tunable Q-switched EDFLs based on the combined effect of graphene SA and an UMZI.…”

Mode-locked 2-μm wavelength fiber laser using a graphene-saturable absorber

“…Other graphene-based Er-doped fiber lasers near 1550 nm have also demonstrated multiple-soliton dynamics. 5 During multipulse operation, all of the laser pulses had the same amplitude, which was the same pulse amplitude observed when in single-pulse operation.…”

“…2 Since then, mode-locked lasers have been created using graphene as a saturable absorber at wavelengths in the near IR. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Theory predicts graphene's performance as a saturable absorber at wavelengths beyond 1.55 μm. 9 Graphene's broadband performance has been shown by a few groups by using it as a saturable absorber to modelock lasers at wavelengths longer than 1.55 μm.…”

“…While graphene-based fiber lasers have been mode locked at 1 and 1.5 μm, [3][4][5][6][7] there are only a few reports of graphene as a saturable absorber at 2 μm, such as: two Q-switched lasers, 11,19 a Q-switched and mode-locked laser, 3 a modelocked solid-state laser, 10 and one (recent) report of graphene's use in mode-locked fiber lasers at a wavelength greater than 1.6 μm.…”

Graphene-Enhanced Optical Signal Processing

“…Graphene could behave as a fast saturable absorber over a wide spectral range for the mode locking of fiber lasers. Since 2009, a wide variety of laser configurations and operational wavelengths [7][8][9][10][11] is based on graphene mode-locked lasers. Graphene has been suggested as a material that might have large χ (3) nonlinearities, which is also due to its linear band structure allowing interband optical transitions at all photon energies.…”