Fiber ring laser with a feedback mirror

We describe the spectral and power features of a ytterbium-doped double-clad photonic crystal fiber laser that is operated in a ring configuration with an external mirror that feeds back only one of its two output beams. We compare the operation of the laser with and without an external feedback mirror. We find that the feedback mirror reduces significantly the spectral and power fluctuations. It is also responsible for an interesting spectral phenomenon: The laser frequency is drifting periodically over 9 nm at a rate of 2 nm/s from a short wavelength to a longer wavelength and vice versa.