Vector self-pulsing in erbium-doped fiber lasers.

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Optics
• Laser Technology

Background:

• Fiber laser instabilities can lead to complex self-pulsing operations, limiting high power and tunability.
• Existing models do not fully capture the experimentally observed complexity of self-pulsing phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generalize a vector model for erbium-doped fiber lasers.
• To map the tunability of complex vector self-pulsing dynamics on the Poincare sphere.
• To provide a comprehensive understanding of self-pulsing complexity in fiber lasers.

Main Methods:

• Generalization of a previous vector model for fiber lasers.
• Mapping of complex vector self-pulsing attractors (limit cycles, double scroll) on the Poincare sphere.
• Numerical simulations validated against experimental data.

Main Results:

• The study maps the tunability of complex vector self-pulsing for key laser parameters.
• Demonstrated visualization of limit cycles and double scroll polarization attractors on the Poincare sphere.
• Model shows good correspondence with experimental results on self-pulsing regimes over 20 years.

Conclusions:

• The generalized vector model offers a more complete description of complex self-pulsing in fiber lasers.
• This work unlocks potential for high power and dynamic tunability in laser operations.
• The findings align with and consolidate decades of experimental observations in the field.