Passively synchronized Q-switched and mode-locked dual-band Tm3+:ZBLAN fiber lasers using a common graphene saturable absorber.

Dual-band fiber lasers are emerging as a promising technology to penetrate new industrial and medical applications from their dual-band properties, in addition to providing compactness and environmental robustness from the waveguide structure. Here, we demonstrate the use of a common graphene saturable absorber and a single gain medium (Tm3+:ZBLAN fiber) to implement (1) a dual-band fiber ring laser with synchronized Q-switched pulses at wavelengths of 1480 nm and 1840 nm, and (2) a dual-band fiber linear laser with synchronized mode-locked pulses at wavelengths of 1480 nm and 1845 nm. Q-switched operation at 1480 nm and 1840 nm is achieved with a synchronized repetition rate from 20 kHz to 40.5 kHz. For synchronous mode-locked operation, pulses with full-width at half maximum durations of 610 fs and 1.68 ps at wavelengths of 1480 nm and 1845 nm, respectively, are obtained at a repetition rate of 12.3 MHz. These dual-band pulsed sources with an ultra-broadband wavelength separation of ~360 nm will add new capabilities in applications including optical sensing, spectroscopy, and communications.

Quantification of different water species in acetone using a NIR-triple-wavelength fiber laser.

A fiber laser using a thulium-doped ZBLAN gain medium was used to generate laser radiation simultaneously at 1461, 1505 and 1874 nm, with > 5 mW output power at each of the wavelengths. The laser was used to quantify the near-infrared absorption of liquid water in acetone. Additionally, near-infrared spectra were recorded using a broad band source and were interpreted using parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis to rationalize the concentration-dependent peak shifts.