Generation of 140 fs pulse train with widely tunable repetition rate through cascaded fibre compression techniques

• Published in: IET optoelectronics Vol. 8; no. 2; pp. 108 - 112
• Main Authors: Zhu, Shuxuan, Quarterman, Adrian H, Wonfor, Adrian, Penty, Richard V, White, Ian H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Stevenage The Institution of Engineering and Technology 01.04.2014; The Institution of Engineering & Technology
• Subjects: cascaded fibre compression techniques; Compressing; dispersion compensating fibre; dispersion shifted fibre; Dispersions; femtosecond pulse train generation; Fibre; laser pulse quality characteristics; laser stability; laser stability characteristics; laser system; laser tuning; Lasers; linear spectral broadening technique; Modulators; numerical analysis; numerical simulations; optical fibre amplifiers; optical fibre dispersion; optical pulse compression; optical pulse generation; optical solitons; phase compression; phase modulators; power 1.5 kW; Repetition; semiconductor lasers; soliton compression; Solitons; Special Issue on Semiconductor Lasers and Integrated Optoelectronics; spectral line broadening; Trains; ultrashort pulse generation; widely tunable repetition rate; linear spectral broadening technique; spectral line broadening; optical pulse compression; laser tuning; ultrashort pulse generation; numerical analysis; phase modulators; phase compression; soliton compression; laser stability; numerical simulations; optical solitons; laser system; laser stability characteristics; optical pulse generation; laser pulse quality characteristics; dispersion compensating fibre; widely tunable repetition rate; optical fibre dispersion; semiconductor lasers; optical fibre amplifiers; femtosecond pulse train generation; dispersion shifted fibre; cascaded fibre compression techniques; power 1.5 kW
• ISSN: 1751-8768; 1751-8776; 1751-8776
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-opt.2013.0071

The authors present numerical simulations of ultrashort pulse generation by a technique of linear spectral broadening in phase modulators and compression in dispersion compensating fibre, followed by a further stage of soliton compression in dispersion shifted fibre. This laser system is predicted to generate pulses of 140 fs duration with a peak power of 1.5 kW over a wide, user selectable repetition rate range while maintaining consistent characteristics of stability and pulse quality. The use of fibre compressors and commercially available modulators is expected to make the system setup compact and cost-effective.