Semi-linear all-polarization-maintaining Yb-doped fiber laser oscillator manifesting dual operation regime at net anomalous dispersion

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel all-polarization-maintaining Yb-doped fiber laser oscillator with a semi-linear cavity operating at net anomalous dispersion, exhibiting dual operation regimes and high pulse energy, advancing ultrafast fiber laser technology.

Contribution

It presents a dispersion-managed dissipative soliton regime in a semi-linear cavity with dual operation states, enabling energy scaling at anomalous dispersion.

Findings

Operates in a dispersion-managed dissipative soliton regime.

Achieves pulse energy up to 6.4 nJ.

Demonstrates dual pulsed operation regimes depending on pump power.

Abstract

Ultrafast all-fiber Yb-doped fiber oscillators are usually associated with all-normal-dispersion cavities, which operate in a dissipative soliton regime, quintessential for pulsed operation at the wavelength of 1 {\mu}m. This work presents an all-polarization-maintaining Yb-doper fiber laser oscillator that operates in a dispersion-managed dissipative soliton regime, thanks to incorporating a chirped fiber Bragg grating. The oscillator, mode-locked via a nonlinear optical loop mirror, has an unconventional semi-linear cavity of net anomalous dispersion. Unlike in standard ring resonators, the ultrashort pulse undergoes amplification twice per cavity roundtrip. Additionally, we report a duality of pulsed operation states depending on the pumping power. Strikingly, the oscillator can work in a~subregime similar to the standard dissipative soliton, facilitating further energy scaling at anomalous dispersion. We characterize the low-noise setup capable of delivering pulse energy as high as 6.4 nJ using standard single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fibers.