Open AccessScalar-vector soliton fiber laser mode-locked by nonlinear polarization rotation
Author(s) -
Zhichao Wu,
Deming Liu,
Songnian Fu,
Lei Li,
Ming Tang,
Lei Zhao
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.24.018764
Subject(s) - birefringence , optics , physics , fiber laser , polarizer , laser , scalar (mathematics) , polarization (electrochemistry) , soliton , orthogonal polarization spectral imaging , dissipative soliton , polarization maintaining optical fiber , nonlinear system , optical fiber , quantum mechanics , fiber optic sensor , mathematics , chemistry , geometry
We report a passively mode-locked fiber laser by nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR), where both vector and scalar soliton can co-exist within the laser cavity. The mode-locked pulse evolves as a vector soliton in the strong birefringent segment and is transformed into a regular scalar soliton after the polarizer within the laser cavity. The existence of solutions in a polarization-dependent cavity comprising a periodic combination of two distinct nonlinear waves is first demonstrated and likely to be applicable to various other nonlinear systems. For very large local birefringence, our laser approaches the operation regime of vector soliton lasers, while it approaches scalar soliton fiber lasers under the condition of very small birefringence.