Low-threshold 115-GHz continuous-wave modulational-instability erbium-doped fiber laser

A pulse train with a repetition rate of 115GHz was obtained at 1.55 microm from a continuous-wave modulational-instability erbium-doped fiber laser. This laser has a Fabry-Perot filter whose free spectral range is set at 115GHz, corresponding to the modulational-instability gain peak. This filter enables us to initiate modulational instability easily with a low threshold and produce a stable, continuous-wave pulse train. The stability of the pulse train is greatly improved by suppression of supermode noise with a combination of self-phase modulation and a narrow-band optical filter.