Synchronously Pumped Mode-Locked 1.89 μm Tm-Doped Fiber Laser with High Detuning Toleration

We propose and demonstrate a synchronously pumped mode-locked Tm-doped fiber(TDF) laser without any extra mode-locking elements. Pumped by a 1.56 μm pulse fiber laser, the TDF laser generates 1.17 ps pulses with a spectral width of 9.7 nm and a repetition rate of 9.33 MHz. The emission wavelength is tunable along with the cavity length detuning in a wide range of 3 mm. The high detuning toleration is beneficial to achieve high temperature and vibration stability in all-fiber configuration lasers.     

Numerical Study on Light Localization in Impedance-Matched Meta-Material Random Systems

We investigate the localization properties of light propagating in two-dimensional systems with impedance-matched meta-material scatterers which are randomly positioned. Numerically, the localization length ξ versus the index of meta-material is obtained first. We find that, unlike traditional random systems, the localization length of such meta-material random systems does not depend on the total scattering cross section of scatterers, but on the back-scattering cross-section of scatterers. Furthermore, our analysis shows that there are “back-scattering paths of single scattere” in such meta-material systems, which can cause a strong localization effect. Such back-scattering paths inside single scatterers can be thought of as the supplement to the traditional back-scattering paths of multiple scatterers.     

Dynamic study and applications of metamaterial systems

We investigate the dynamic characteristics of metamaterial systems, such as the temporal coherence gain of the superlens, the causality limitation on the ideal cloaking systems, the relaxation process and essential elements in the dispersive cloaking systems, and the extending of the working frequency range of cloaking systems. The key point of our study is the physical dispersive properties of metamaterials, which are well-known to be intrinsically strongly dispersive. With physical dispersion, new physical pictures can be obtained for the waves propagating inside metamaterial, such as the “group retarded time” for waves inside the superlens and cloak, the causality limitation on real metamaterial systems, and the essential elements for design optimization. Therefore, we believe the dynamic study of metamaterials will be an important direction for further research. All theoretical derivations and conclusions are demonstrated by powerful finite-difference time-domain simulations.     

Raman-Assisted Passively Mode-Locked Fiber Laser

We propose and demonstrate a Raman-assisted passively mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser in a normal dispersion regime. A section of highly nonlinear fiber is adopted to enhance the nonlinearity to extend the bandwidth of the gain spectrum by the stimulated Raman effect. The mode-locked fiber laser emits a broad spectral bandwidth of 64 nm at the-20 dB level and a highly stable pulse operation with a signal-to-noise ratio of 77 dB.