We proposed an absolute distance measurement method with a large non-ambiguity range based on a polarization-multiplexed dual-comb fiber laser. By fully exploiting the intracavity linear loss based gain profile tilting and residual birefringence, polarization-multiplexed dual-comb pulses with tunable repetition rate difference and overlapping spectra in the 1530-nm gain region are obtained. The repetition frequency difference could be continuously tuned from ~89 to ~194 Hz. The alternative sampling under different repetition rate difference is experimentally verified to be effective approach to extend the non-ambiguity range in the single-cavity dual-comb ranging. The non-ambiguity range could reach thousands of kilometer while the precision could reach at least on the order of hundreds of micrometers. These results indicate a simple and intriguing route with a free-running laser source to obtain ranging with large non-ambiguity range, showing high potential in the applications such as satellite formation flying, large-scale 3D surface morphology measurement and so on.
A dispersive Fourier transformation-based ranging method utilizing a femtosecond laser frequency comb is demonstrated. The target and measurement signals interfere through a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and then enter a single-mode fiber with a sufficiently large group velocity dispersion (GVD) to be stretched and extended. The spectral interference information is mapped to the time-domain waveform. The time-frequency conversion function, obtained through calibration, converts the time-domain data into the frequency-domain data. After applying a Fourier transform, the measured distance is determined using the peak-interval method. In multiple measurements with an interval of 200 μm, the average error is within tens of microns., which can be further reduced with a higher-precision displacement table.
A real-time online ranging system is proposed using the frequency domain peak interval measurement method. By utilizing an NPR-locked, all-fiber, wide-spectrum erbium-doped femtosecond laser, a gain distribution with a center wavelength of 1560nm is obtained, with a repetition frequency of up to 14.54MHz, and then a femtosecond laser source with a spectral width of 38nm at -3dB can be obtained by adjusting its polarization state, which can improve ranging accuracy. By a combination of an upper computer system an all-fiber Michelson interferometer, real-time capture and processing of spectral interference data can be achieved, thereby realizing real-time acquisition of relative displacement distance. Experimental results show that within the coherence length, the measurable relative distance is around 2cm, and the measurement accuracy can reach 5μm.
Based on PbS quantum dots and single-walled carbon nanotube, we have successfully demonstrated a Er-doped fiber laser capable of switching between two different types of output pulses. By finely adjusting both the pump power and the states of polarization controller, flexible switchable Q-switched and mode-locked pulses can be achieved. At pump power of 29 mW, Q-switched pulses are obtained at a central wavelength of 1560.2 nm. When the pump power increases from 29 mW to 92 mW, the Q-switched rate varies from 25 kHz to 75.22 kHz. Accordingly, the output pulse energy rises from 3 nJ to 5.46 nJ, and the output power changes from 0.08 mW to 0.41 mW. When the pump power is set in the ranges of 92 mW to 107 mW, the fiber laser enters the transition region of Q-switching operation. In this region, evident Q-switched instability with large fluctuations is observed, which is independent of the polarization states. When the laser pump power exceeds 107 mW, the Q-switched pulse disappears, and mode-locked pulses are obtained by altering the state of the polarization controller. The central wavelength of the mode-locked pulses output spectrum is 1561.1 nm, and the corresponding 3 dB spectral bandwidth is 4.22 nm. Coupled Ginzburg-Landau equation are provided to reveal the underlying principles of the transition of these pulse trains. Our work provides a new prospect for achieving fiber lasers capable of flexibly switching output pulse types, further expanding their applications in fields such as laser microprocessing, optical communication and medical lasers.
Broadband lasers have extensive applications in many fields such as spectroscopy, photochemistry, medicine, and biology, so they have obtained significant attention, particularly for their enormous potential in broadband imaging, pollution monitoring, and semiconductor material processing. This paper presents a 1-micron femtosecond laser with a broadened spectrum, achieved by integrating both intracavity and extracavity spectral broadening methods. Initially, a 1-micron single-mode fiber is introduced into the laser cavity to reduce the total dispersion. Subsequently, the collimated output laser is directed onto a negative dispersion grating. After being reflected by the dual grating system, the laser is measured, all while maintaining a stable mode-locked state. To address spectral distortion caused by the loss in non-target gain intervals, dual filtering is employed to retain only the 1064 nm gain interval. Through the balance between these two negative dispersions, the laser’s spectral width is expanded by approximately six times from its original 5 nm to 30 nm. During the experiments, the laser demonstrated remarkable stability and compared to using only intracavity single-mode fiber expansion or extracavity grating expansion, this approach offers superior results and greater potential. It aids in the precise measurement of pollutants and plays a crucial role in enhancing the resolution of broadband imaging.
Due to the simple configuration, qualified passive coherence between pulses, and cost-effective characteristics, single-cavity dual-comb sources attract increasing research interest. Actually, such lasers have been experimentally verified in dual-comb metrology such as dual-comb frequency measurement and spectroscopy. Unlike the single-cavity dual-comb fiber laser multiplexed in other dimensions such as wavelength, direction and mode-locked mechanism, polarization-multiplexed pulses own the unique characteristics of overlapping spectra, intrinsic spectral coherence, and tunable repetition rate difference. They are beneficial for the simplification of additional optical amplification and the satisfaction of versatile requirements of dual-comb metrology. Here, we demonstrated a single-wall carbon nanotube saturable absorber mode-locked Er-doped fiber laser to emit wavelength-switchable polarization-multiplexed dual-comb pulses. The intracavity loss is carefully tuned by an additional optical variable attenuator to define the oscillation windows. In both the 1530- and 1550-nm gain regions, spectral-overlapping, polarization-multiplexed pulses are experimentally obtained with the fine configuration of the intracavity state of polarization. The polarization dynamics and tunable repetition rate difference are experimentally revealed. The repetition rate difference is at the tens-of-hertz level, which is somewhat lower than that of the reported polarization-multiplexed fiber laser with additionally introduced polarization-maintaining fiber. Since there are no additional birefringent media, the polarization mode dispersion for polarization-multiplexed pulses is attributed to the residual birefringence. Moreover, the passive mutual coherence is also highlighted. There results provide a simple yet effective way to design switchable and versatile single-cavity dual-comb pulses.
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