Reflectivity of transient Bragg reflection gratings in fiber laser with laser-wavelength self-sweeping

We present a method for the estimation of the reflection spectra of transient gratings in rare-earth doped fiber lasers having a self-sweeping of laser wavelength. We show that high reflectivities of several tens of percent can be achieved. An example of this is demonstrated through the use of an experimental Yb-doped Fabry-Perot fiber laser. The gratings' spectra are highly asymmetric due to the apodization of the refractive index modulation. The importance of the self-sweeping regime for triggering self-Q-switched laser instabilities is discussed.