1st Edition

Ultra-Fast Fiber Lasers Principles and Applications with MATLAB® Models

By Le Nguyen Binh, Nam Quoc Ngo Copyright 2011
    438 Pages 274 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    438 Pages 274 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Ultrashort pulses in mode-locked lasers are receiving focused attention from researchers looking to apply them in a variety of fields, from optical clock technology to measurements of the fundamental constants of nature and ultrahigh-speed optical communications. Ultrashort pulses are especially important for the next generation of ultrahigh-speed optical systems and networks operating at 100 Gbps per carrier.

    Ultra Fast Fiber Lasers: Principles and Applications with MATLAB® Models is a self-contained reference for engineers and others in the fields of applied photonics and optical communications. Covering both fundamentals and advanced research, this book includes both theoretical and experimental results. MATLAB files are included to provide a basic grounding in the simulation of the generation of short pulses and the propagation or circulation around nonlinear fiber rings. With its unique and extensive content, this volume—

    • Covers fundamental principles involved in the generation of ultrashort pulses employing fiber ring lasers, particularly those that incorporate active optical modulators of amplitude or phase types
    • Presents experimental techniques for the generation, detection, and characterization of ultrashort pulse sequences derived from several current schemes
    • Describes the multiplication of ultrashort pulse sequences using the Talbot diffraction effects in the time domain via the use of highly dispersive media
    • Discusses developments of multiple short pulses in the form of solitons binding together by phase states
    • Elucidates the generation of short pulse sequences and multiple wavelength channels from a single fiber laser

    The most practical short pulse sources are always found in the form of guided wave photonic structures. This minimizes problems with alignment and eases coupling into fiber transmission systems. In meeting these requirements, fiber ring lasers operating in active mode serve well as suitable ultrashort pulse sources. It is only a matter of time before scientists building on this research develop the practical and easy-to-use applications that will make ultrahigh-speed optical systems universally available.


    Introduction
    Ultrahigh Capacity Demands and Short Pulse Lasers
       Demands
       Ultrashort Pulse Lasers
    Principal Objectives of the Book
    Organization of the Book Chapters
    Historical Overview of Ultrashort Pulse Fiber Lasers
       Overview
       Mode-Locking Mechanism in Fiber Ring Resonators
          Amplifying Medium and Laser System
          Active Modulation in Laser Cavity
          Techniques Generation Terahertz- Repetition-Rate Pulse Trains
    Necessity of Highly Nonlinear Optical
    Waveguide Section for Ultrahigh-Speed Modulation
    References
    2 Principles and Analysis of Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers
    Principles of Mode Locking
    Mode-Locking Techniques
       Passive Mode Locking
       Active Mode Locking by Amplitude Modulation
       Active Medium and Pump Source
       Filter Design
       Modulator Design
       Active Mode Locking by Phase Modulation
    Actively Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers
       Principle of Actively Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers
       Multiplication of Repetition Rate
       Equalizing and Stabilizing Pulses in Rational HMLFL
    Analysis of Actively Mode-Locked Lasers
       Introduction
       Analysis Using Self-Consistence Condition w/ Gaussian Pulse        
       Shape
       Series Approach Analysis
       Mode Locking
          Mode Locking without Detuning
          Simulation
    Conclusions
    References
    3 Active Mode-Locked Fiber Ring Lasers: Implementation
    Building Blocks of Active Mode-Locked Fiber Ring Laser
       Laser Cavity Design
       Active Medium and Pump Source
       Filter Design
       Modulator Design
    AM and FM Mode-Locked Erbium-Doped Fiber Ring Laser
       AM Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers
       FM or PM Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers
    Regenerative Active Mode-Locked Erbium-Doped Fiber Ring Laser
       Experimental Setup
       Results and Discussion
          Noise Analysis
          Temporal and Spectral Analysis
          Measurement Accuracy
          EDF Cooperative Up-Conversion
          Pulse Dropout
    Ultrahigh Repetition-Rate Ultra-Stable Fiber Mode-Locked Lasers
       Regenerative Mode-Locking Techniques and Conditions for Generation of Transform-Limited Pulses from a Mode-Locked Laser
          Schematic Structure of MLRL
          Mode-Locking Conditions
          Factors Influencing the Design and Performance of Mode Locking and Generation of Optical Pulse Trains
       Experimental Setup and Results
       Remarks
    Conclusions
    References
    4 NLSE Numerical Simulation of Active Mode-Locked Lasers: Time Domain Analysis
    Introduction
    The Laser Model
       Modeling the Optical Fiber
       Modeling the EDFA
       Modeling the Optical Modulation
       Modeling the Optical Filter
    The Propagation Model
       Generation and Propagation
       Results and Discussions
          Propagation of Optical Pulses in the Fiber
    Harmonic Mode-Locked Laser
       Mode-Locked Pulse Evolution
       Effect of Modulation Frequency
       Effect of Modulation Depth
       Effect of the Optical Filter Bandwidth
       Effect of Pump Power
       Rational Harmonic Mode-Locked Laser
    FM or PM Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers
    Concluding Remarks
    References
    5 Dispersion and Nonlinearity Effects in Active Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers
    Introduction
    Propagation of Optical Pulses in a Fiber
       Dispersion Effect
       Nonlinear Effect
       Soliton
       Propagation Equation in Optical Fibers
    Dispersion Effects in Actively Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers
       Zero Detuning
    Dispersion Effects in Detuned Actively Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers Locking Range
    Nonlinear Effects in Actively Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers
       Zero Detuning
       Detuning in an Actively Mode-Locked Fiber Laser with Nonlinearity Effect
       Pulse Amplitude Equalization in a Harmonic Mode-Locked Fiber Laser
    Soliton Formation in Actively Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers with Combined Effect of Dispersion and Nonlinearity
       Zero Detuning
       Detuning and Locking Range in a Mode-Locked Fiber Laser with Nonlinearity and Dispersion Effect
    Detuning and Pulse Shortening
       Experimental Setup
       Mode-Locked Pulse Train with 0 GHz Repetition Rate
       Wavelength Shifting in a Detuned Actively Mode-Locked Fiber Laser with Dispersion Cavity
       Pulse Shortening and Spectrum Broadening under Nonlinearity Effect
    Conclusions
    References
    6 Actively Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers with Birefringent Cavity
    Introduction
    Birefringence Cavity of an Actively Mode-Locked Fiber Laser
       Simulation Model
       Simulation Results
    Polarization Switching in an Actively Mode-Locked FiberLaser with Birefringence Cavity
       Experimental Setup
       Results and Discussion
          H-Mode Regime
          V-Mode Regime
       Dual Orthogonal Polarization States in an Actively Mode-Locked Birefringent Fiber Ring Laser
          Experimental Setup
          Results and Discussion
       Pulse Dropout and Sub-Harmonic Locking
       Concluding Remarks
    Ultrafast Tunable Actively Mode-Locked Fiber Lasers
       Introduction
       Birefringence Filter
       Ultrafast Electrically Tunable Filter Based on
    Electro-Optic Effect of LiNbO3
          Lyot Filter and Wavelength Tuning by a Phase Shifter
          Experimental Results
       Ultrafast Electrically Tunable MLL
          Experimental Setup
          Experimental Results
       Concluding Remarks
    Conclusions
    References
    7 Ultrafast Fiber Ring Lasers by Temporal Imaging
    Repetition Rate Multiplication Techniques
       Fractional Temporal Talbot Effect
       Other Repetition Rate Multiplication Techniques
       Experimental Setup
       Results and Discussion
    Uniform Lasing Mode Amplitude Distribution
       Gaussian Lasing Mode Amplitude Distribution
       Filter Bandwidth Influence
       Nonlinear Effects
        Noise Effects
    Conclusions
    References
    8 Terahertz Repetition Rate Fiber Ring Laser
    Gaussian Modulating Signal
    Rational Harmonic Detuning
       Experimental Setup
       Results and Discussion
    Parametric Amplifier–Based Fiber Ring Laser
       Parametric Amplification
       Experimental Setup
       Results and Discussion
          Parametric Amplifier Action
          Ultrahigh Repetition Rate Operation
          Ultra-Narrow Pulse Operation
          Intracavity Power
          Soliton Compression
    Regenerative Parametric Amplifier–Based Mode-Locked Fiber Ring Laser
       Experimental Setup
       Results and Discussion
    Conclusions
    References
    9 Nonlinear Fiber Ring Lasers
    Introduction
    Optical Bistability, Bifurcation, and Chaos
    Nonlinear Optical Loop Mirror
    Nonlinear Amplifying Loop Mirror
    NOLM–NALM Fiber Ring Laser
       Simulation of Laser Dynamics
       Experiment
          Bidirectional Erbium-Doped Fiber Ring Laser
          Continuous-Wave NOLM–NALM
    Fiber Ring Laser
          Amplitude-Modulated NOLM–NALM Fiber Ring Laser
    Conclusions
    References
    10 Bound Solitons by Active Phase Modulation Mode-Locked Fiber Ring Lasers
    Introduction
    Formation of Bound States in an FM Mode-Locked Fiber Ring Laser
    Experimental Technique
    Dynamics of Bound States in an FM Mode-Locked Fiber Ring Laser
       Numerical Model of an FM Mode-Locked Fiber Ring Laser
       The Formation of the Bound Soliton States
       Evolution of the Bound Soliton States in the FM Fiber Loop
    Multi-Bound Soliton Propagation in Optical Fiber
    Bi-Spectra of Multi-Bound Solitons
       Definition
       The Phasor Optical Spectral Analyzers
       Bi-Spectrum of Duffing Chaotic Systems
    Conclusions
    References
    11. Actively Mode-Locked Multiwavelength Erbium-Doped Fiber Lasers
    Introduction
    Numerical Model of an Actively Mode-Locked Multiwavelength Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser
    Simulation Results of an Actively Mode-Locked Multiwavelength Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser
       Effects of Small Positive Dispersion Cavity and Nonlinear Effects on Gain Competition Suppression Using a Highly Nonlinear Fiber
       Effects of a Large Positive Dispersion and Nonlinear Effects Using a Highly Nonlinear Fiber in the Cavity on Gain Competition Suppression
       Effects of a Large Negative Dispersion and Nonlinear Effects Using a Highly Nonlinear Fiber in the Cavity on Gain Competition Suppression
       Effects of Cavity Dispersion and a Hybrid Broadening Gain Medium on the Tolerable Loss Imbalance between the Wavelengths
    Experimental Validation and Discussion on an Actively Mode-Locked Multiwavelength Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser
    Conclusions and Suggestions for Future Work
    References
    Appendix A: Er-Doped Fiber Amplifier: Optimum Length and Implementation
    Appendix B: MATLAB® Programs for Simulation
    Appendix C: Abbreviations


    Biography

    Le Nguyen Binh received his BE (Hons) and Ph.D degrees in electronic engineering and integrated photonics in 1975 and 1980, respectively, from the University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia. In 1980, he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering at Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, after a three-year period with Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Camberra, Australia, as a research scientist. In 1995, he was appointed as reader at Monash University. He has worked in the Department of Optical Communications of Siemens AG Central Research Laboratories in Munich, Germany, and in the Advanced Technology Centre of Nortel Networks at Harlow, United Kingdom. He has also served as a visiting professor of the Faculty of Engineering of Christian Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany. Dr. Binh has published more than 250 papers in leading journals and refereed conferences, and three books in the field of photonic signal processing and optical communications: the first is Photonic Signal Processing, the second is Digital Optical Communications and the third on Optical Fiber Communications Systems (both published by CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida). His current research interests are in advanced modulation formats for long haul optical transmission, electronic equalization techniques for optical transmission systems, ultrashort pulse lasers, and photonic signal processing.

    Nam Quoc Ngo received his BE and PhD degrees in electrical and computer systems engineering from Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1992 and 1998, respectively. From July 1997 to July 2000, he was a lecturer at Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Since July 2000, he has been with the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, where he is presently an associate professor. Since March 2009, he has been the deputy director of the Photonics Research Centre at the School of EEE. Among his other significant contributions, he has pioneered the development of the theoretical foundations of arbitrary order temporal optical differentiators and arbitrary-order temporal optical integrators, which resulted in the creation of these two new research areas. He has also pioneered the development of a general theory of the Newton– Cotes digital integrators, from which he has designed a wideband integrator and a wideband differentiator known as the Ngo integrator and the Ngo differentiator, respectively, in the literature. His current research interests are on the design and development of fiber-based and waveguide-based devices for application in optical communication systems and optical sensors. He has published more than 110 international journal papers and over 60 conference papers in these areas. He received two awards for outstanding contributions in his PhD dissertation. He is a senior member of IEEE.