Cascaded Generation in Multimode Diode-Pumped Graded-Index Fiber Raman Lasers

We review our recent experimental results on the cascaded Raman conversion of highly multimode laser diode (LD) pump radiation into the first- and higher-order Stokes radiation in multimode graded-index fibers. A linear cavity composed of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) inscribed in the fiber core is formed to provide feedback for the first Stokes order, whereas, for the second order, both a linear cavity consisting of two FBGs and a half-open cavity with one FBG and random distributed feedback (RDFB) via Rayleigh backscattering along the fiber are explored. LDs with different wavelengths (915 and 940 nm) are used for pumping enabling Raman lasing at different wavelengths of the first (950, 954 and 976 nm), second (976, 996 and 1019 nm) and third (1065 nm) Stokes orders. Output power and efficiency, spectral line shapes and widths, beam quality and shapes are compared for different configurations. It is shown that the RDFB cavity provides higher slope efficiency of the second Stokes generation (up to 70% as that for the first Stokes wave) with output power up to ~30 W, limited by the third Stokes generation. The best beam quality parameter of the second Stokes beam is close to the diffraction limit (M2~1.3) in both linear and half-open cavities, whereas the line is narrower (<0.2 nm) and more stable in the case of the linear cavity with two FBGs. However, an optimization of the FBG reflection spectrum used in the half-open cavity allows this linewidth value to be approached. The measured beam profiles show the dip formation in the output pump beam profile, whereas the first and second Stokes beams are Gaussian-shaped and almost unchanged with increasing power. A qualitative explanation of such behavior in connection with the power evolution for the transmitted pump and generated first, second and third Stokes beams is given. The potential for wavelength tuning of the cascaded Raman lasers based on LD-pumped multimode fibers is discussed.

Investigation of a tunable and switchable multi-wavelength bidirectional Brillouin-erbium fiber ring laser

A multi-wavelength bidirectional Brillouin-erbium fiber ring laser with switchable Brillouin frequency spacing (BFS) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. In the presented Brillouin-erbium ring laser, including an optical amplifier and a highly nonlinear fiber, and without any optical isolator, due to Rayleigh scattering, stimulated Brillouin scattering, and cascaded four-wave mixing initiated successively by the Brillouin pump (BP) light, the odd- and even-order Stokes lines are generated and circulate in the opposite direction in the ring cavity. The BP light and Stokes-induced Rayleigh backscattering light also simultaneously circulate in the ring cavity. Only by adjusting BP power, the gain competition between Brillouin based Stokes and cavity modes’ oscillation can be controlled, the laser output can be conveniently switched between single BFS and odd- or even-order double BFS. In addition, under the certain BP power conditions, the proposed multi-wavelength Brillouin-erbium fiber laser also can realize switchable odd- or even-order Stokes generation and Stokes generation with single BFS, with an increasing wavelength number in turn, only by simply adjusting pump power of the erbium-doped fiber amplifier. Stability and wavelength tunability of the proposed multi-wavelength bidirectional Brillouin-erbium fiber ring laser are also investigated, respectively.

Efficient Generation of Coherent Stokes Field in Hydrogen Gas-Filled Hollow Core Photonic Crystal Fibres

In this paper, we study of the coherent Stokes generation in a transient Raman regime by Hydrogen gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibres (HC-PCFs) configuration. The temporal and spatial evolution of the pump and Stokes field envelopes as well as the coherence and population inversion is numerically observed. The influence of the pump pulse width and gas pressure on the energy exchange along fiber and Stokes generation efficiency is investigated.

Raman Laser with a Singly Resonant Cavity: Theoretical Model and Experiment

A semiclassical theoretical model of a Raman laser possessing a cavity which is resonant at the Stokes wavelength and not resonant at the pump wavelength has been developed. The wave equations describing evolution of amplitudes of the pump and Stokes pulses in the Raman cavity have been derived. Results of the theoretical modeling have been analyzed for conditions of an experiment with the Raman laser on barium nitrate crystal under the nanosecond pulse pump. Numerically calculated energy characteristics of the Raman laser as well as space-time dynamics of the Stokes generation have been demonstrated to be in reasonable agreement with the experiment.