Polarization-domain-wall complexes in fiber lasers

Year: 2013

Authors: Lecaplain C., Grelu P., Wabnitz S.

Autors Affiliation: Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, U.M.R. 6303 C.N.R.S, Université de Bourgogne, 9 avenue A. Savary, BP 47870 Dijon Cedex 21078, France; Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell\’Informazione, Università di Brescia, Via Branze 38, Brescia 25123, Italy CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS: Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, U.M.R. 6303 C.N.R.S, Université de Bourgogne, 9 avenue A. Savary, BP 47870 Dijon Cedex 21078, France CONFERENCE NAME: International Quantum Electronics Conference, IQEC 2013 CONFERENCE DATE: 12 May 2013 through 16 May 2013 CONFERENCE LOCATION: Munich CONFERENCE CODE: 104366 ISSN: 21622701 ISBN: 9781479905942 LANGUAGE OF ORIGINAL DOCUMENT: English ABBREVIATED SOURCE TITLE: Opt.InfoBase Conf. Papers DOCUMENT TYPE: Conference Paper PUBLICATION STAGE: Final

Abstract: To study the possible build-up of polarization-domain-walls (PDWs) in fiber laser cavities, an erbium-doped fiber ring laser was used and a wide range of vector polarization dynamics that can be selected at a given pump power, by using the degrees of freedom of two intracavity polarization controllers (PC) was investigated. A simple theoretical model that explains polarization switching in fiber ring lasers featuring a normally dispersive cavity with a typical, moderate, level of birefringence is presented. Such polarization dynamics, based on a special class of polarization-domain-wall structures, agrees qualitatively well with experimental observations. The paper stresses on the complex and chaotic nature of the observed polarization-switching states. These complex dynamics are corroborated by detailed numerical simulations predicting the build-up of consecutive and transient PDW structures at the subnanosecond scale, which are not fully resolved experimentally.

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KeyWords: Erbium-doped fiber lasers; Optical fiber dispersion; Optical fiber polarization; Cavity resonators; Vectors; Laser theory
DOI: 10.1109/CLEOE-IQEC.2013.6801846