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Title: A switchable and stable single-longitudinal-mode, dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber laser assisted by Rayleigh backscattering in tapered fiber

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4930054· OSTI ID:22489453
; ; ; ; ;  [1];  [2]
  1. College of Electronic and Information Engineering, Shenzhen Graduate School, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province 518055 (China)
  2. School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798 Singapore (Singapore)

We have proposed and demonstrated a novel switchable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM), dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber laser (DWEDFL) assisted by Rayleigh backscattering (RBS) in a tapered fiber in a ring laser configuration. The RBS feedback in a tapered fiber is a key mechanism as linewidth narrowing for laser output. A compound laser cavity ensured that the EDFL operated in the SLM state and a saturable absorber (SA) is employed to form a gain grating for both filtering and improving wavelength stability. The fiber laser can output dual wavelengths simultaneously or operate at single wavelength in a switchable manner. Experiment results show that with the proper SA, the peak power drift was improved from 1–2 dB to 0.31 dB and the optical signal to noise ratio was higher than 60 dB. Under the assistance of RBS feedback, the laser linewidths are compressed by around three times and the Lorentzian 3 dB linewidths of 445 Hz and 425 Hz are obtained at 1550 nm and 1554 nm, respectively.

OSTI ID:
22489453
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 118, Issue 10; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English