Abstract

The development of widely, rapidly tunable lasers is crucial for wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical systems. Continuous rapid tunability is also required for densely- spaced WDM systems and for signal processing applications such as array feeds[l], fiber-optic gyroscopes[2], and fiber sensor interrogation. An Er-fiber ring laser incorporating an acoustooptic tunable filter (AOTF) has been demonstrated [4]. However, the laser performance was degraded by polarization-dependent effects, the output was in non-PM fiber, the actual laser wavelength tuning time limitations have not been established, and the laser exhibited strong relaxation oscillations with unacceptably long 1-ms recovery time.

© 1994 Optical Society of America