Open AccessDispersion compensation in an Yb-doped fiber oscillator for generating transform-limited, wing-free pulses
Author(s) -
Takashi Kitahara,
Hidetsugu Yoshida,
Hiroaki Furuse,
Toshiyuki Kawashima,
Noriaki Miyanaga
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.19.025199
Subject(s) - optics , materials science , self phase modulation , polarization mode dispersion , fiber laser , dispersion shifted fiber , fiber bragg grating , dispersion (optics) , nonlinear optics , optical fiber , physics , laser , fiber optic sensor
We investigate the effect of dispersion compensation on temporal characteristics in mode-locking by nonlinear polarization rotation in an ytterbium-doped fiber (YDF) oscillator with intracavity and external grating pairs. A short fixed length YDF was spliced with a longer single-mode fiber (SMF). Using experimentally measured dispersion characteristics of the YDF, SMF and cavity optics, we control the group velocity dispersion (GVD) and spectral broadening in a cavity by changing the SMF length. As a result, the oscillator generated 29.4-fs transform-limited wing-free pulses, which are to our knowledge the shortest and cleanest pulses achieved without the use of additional optics like a prism pair for high-order dispersion compensation. The results show that a precise balance of higher order terms of the GVD and self-phase modulation is essential for shortening pulse duration.