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Semiconductor optical amplifier based high duty-cycle, self-starting figure-eight 1.7 GHz laser source
Seong-sik Min1, Yucheng Zhao, Simon Fleming
1Optical Fibre Technology Centre, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. s.min@usyd.edu.au
Optics Express
|April 15, 2009
Summary
A novel figure-eight laser operates passively and self-starts, generating a stable 1.7 GHz pulse train at 1536 nm. This laser modelocking is continuous as long as optical pumping is supplied.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Laser Physics
Background:
- Mode-locked lasers are crucial for generating ultrashort optical pulses.
- Figure-eight lasers offer unique characteristics for pulse generation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally demonstrate a self-starting, passively harmonic mode-locked figure-eight laser.
- To characterize the laser's pulse train stability and repetition rate.
Main Methods:
- Experimental setup of a figure-eight fiber laser cavity.
- Utilizing nonlinear polarization evolution for passive mode-locking.
- Characterization of output pulse train using optical spectrum analyzer and autocorrelator.
Main Results:
- Successful demonstration of a self-starting, passively harmonic mode-locked figure-eight laser.
- Generation of a stable pulse train with a near half duty-cycle.
- Achieved a repetition rate of 1.7 GHz at a wavelength of 1536 nm.
- Continuous mode-locking maintained during optical pumping.
Conclusions:
- The figure-eight laser design enables robust and self-starting mode-locking.
- The demonstrated laser is suitable for applications requiring high-repetition-rate optical pulses.
- Passive harmonic mode-locking in figure-eight lasers is a viable approach for generating stable pulse trains.
