Open AccessA stable polarization switching laser from a bidirectional passively mode-locked thulium-doped fiber oscillator
Author(s) -
Wei Zhou,
Deyuan Shen,
Yishan Wang,
Hefeng Ma,
Fei Wang
Publication year - 2013
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.21.008945
Subject(s) - optics , fiber laser , laser , polarization (electrochemistry) , materials science , mode locking , thulium , optoelectronics , physics , chemistry
We report on a novel polarization switching laser from a bidirectional passively mode-locked thulium(Tm)-doped fiber oscillator, which was characterized by the periodical change of polarization state of every pulse. The switching laser was created by combing two orthogonally stable vector solitons, which were found to be wave-breaking-free pulses in the all-anomalous-dispersion regime. The measured repetition rates of switching laser and the corresponding vector solitons were 49.596 MHz, 24.798 MHz, and 24.798MHz. By controlling wave plates, either of the polarized pulse trains can be switched on or off. To our knowledge, this is the first report of polarization switching laser with vector solitons in Tm fiber oscillators.