Single-frequency pulsed fiber laser based on an electro-optic modulator with injection seeding technique

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Laser Technology
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Single-frequency fiber lasers are crucial for applications requiring narrow linewidth and high coherence.
• Achieving stable linear polarization in pulsed fiber lasers presents engineering challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a single-frequency, linearly polarized pulsed fiber laser.
• To investigate the use of electro-optic modulation and injection seeding for pulse generation and frequency control.

Main Methods:

• A fiber ring-cavity laser design incorporating a distributed-feedback fiber laser seed source.
• Utilizing an electro-optic modulator for active Q-switching to generate laser pulses.
• Employing polarization-maintaining components throughout the laser system.

Main Results:

• Generation of a single-frequency pulsed fiber laser with a central wavelength of 1064.22 nm.
• Achieved a narrow linewidth of 35 MHz and a polarization extinction ratio exceeding 40 dB.
• Demonstrated stable linear polarization output due to the use of polarization-maintaining devices.

Conclusions:

• The demonstrated fiber laser design successfully achieves single-frequency, linearly polarized pulsed output.
• The injection seeding and electro-optic Q-switching techniques are effective for high-performance pulsed fiber laser generation.
• The laser's characteristics make it suitable for advanced applications such as lidar and nonlinear frequency conversion.