Optical feedback effects in Nd-doped fiber lasers with broadband spectra

A detailed experimental and theoretical investigation of optical feedback effects in Nd-doped fiber lasers is presented. Of particular interest is an output-intensity reduction attributed to the broadband nature of the laser spectrum combined with a mode-selection mechanism of the external Fabry-Perot cavity. The theoretical approach, based on a simple multimode rate-equation model, provides an excellent description of the experimental results.