1700 nm dispersion managed mode-locked bismuth fiber laser

Area of Science:

• Fiber laser technology
• Ultrafast optics
• Materials science

Background:

• Bismuth-doped fibers are emerging as a promising gain medium for new wavelength ranges.
• Passive mode-locking is a key technique for generating ultrashort optical pulses.
• Carbon nanotube saturable absorbers offer broadband operation suitable for diverse laser cavities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the first 1.7 μm bismuth-doped fiber laser.
• To achieve ultrashort pulse generation via passive mode-locking.
• To investigate the laser's performance in both anomalous and normal dispersion regimes.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a bismuth-doped fiber as the gain medium.
• Implementing passive mode-locking with a carbon nanotube saturable absorber.
• Configuring the laser cavity to operate in both anomalous and normal dispersion regimes.

Main Results:

• Successful generation of ultrashort pulses at 1.7 μm.
• Stable pulse operation achieved in both anomalous and normal dispersion configurations.
• 1.65 ps pulses generated in the anomalous dispersion regime.
• 14 ps pulses generated in the normal dispersion regime, compressible to 1.2 ps.

Conclusions:

• The 1.7 μm bismuth-doped fiber laser is a novel source for ultrashort pulse generation.
• The broadband carbon nanotube saturable absorber enables versatile operation across different dispersion regimes.
• This work opens possibilities for applications requiring ultrashort pulses in the 1.7 μm spectral region.