Abstract

We describe a novel mechanism of pulse shortening in a Q-switched laser induced by the gain compression effect under strong pumping conditions. The pulse shortening requires a large variation of the gain excursion during the saturation process and benefits from the large volume of the gain medium. The effect has been experimentally demonstrated using a passive Q-switched $\mathrm{Tm}∕\mathrm{Ho}$-doped fiber laser that shows gain-induced pulse compression from $800\mathrm{ns}$ down to $160\mathrm{ns}$ when the pump threshold is exceeded by 15 times.

© 2008 Optical Society of America

Passively Q-switched Tm³⁺, Ho³⁺-doped silica fiber laser using a highly nonlinear saturable absorber and dynamic gain pulse compression

Samuli Kivistö, Riku Koskinen, Jonna Paajaste, Stuart D. Jackson, Mircea Guina, and Oleg G. Okhotnikov
Opt. Express 16(26) 22058-22063 (2008)

All-fiber pulse shortening of passively Q-switched microchip laser pulses down to sub-200  fs

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8 ns fiber laser Q switched by the resonant saturable absorber mirror

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