40  W of supercontinuum generated by a self-pulsed pump-sharing oscillator-amplifier

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Laser Physics

Background:

• Supercontinuum (SC) generation is crucial for applications requiring broadband light sources.
• Traditional SC sources often face limitations in power or spectral characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel all-fiber supercontinuum source with high average power.
• To investigate the efficacy of a self-Q-switched pump-sharing oscillator-amplifier for SC generation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a self-Q-switched master oscillator to generate giant pulses.
• Employed a high-power amplifier stage for pulse amplification.
• Incorporated a passive fiber as a nonlinear stage for spectral broadening and flatness improvement.
• Integrated a submeter Ytterbium-doped fiber within the oscillator.

Main Results:

• Achieved an all-fiber supercontinuum source delivering up to 40 W of average power.
• Generated a broad spectrum ranging from 750 nm to 2200 nm.
• Demonstrated improved spectrum flatness and spectral broadening through the nonlinear fiber stage.

Conclusions:

• Successfully implemented a pump-sharing oscillator-amplifier architecture for high-power SC generation.
• This represents the first use of such a configuration for SC generation.
• The submeter Ytterbium-doped fiber in the oscillator is key to this advancement.