Nanosecond-Pulsed Passively Q-Switched Fiber Laser by Using Photothermal Dynamics in a Dielectric Microcavity

Thermal nonlinear effects have been extensively studied in whispering-gallery optical microcavities. Photothermal effect originating from high light power buildup in the microcavities plays an important role in various applications, such as thermal tuning, thermal detection, and thermal imaging; however, they are often limited by the slow photothermal response time. Here, we demonstrate a nanosecond passively Q-switched fiber laser via photothermal dynamics in a dielectric microcavity and reveal the nanosecond-time-scale photothermal response in the microcavity. The passive Q-switched fiber laser is realized by a novel Q-switching mechanism, which is derived from the dynamic photothermal effect in an ultrahigh-quality silica microcavity. Q-switched pulses with a duration of 25.8 ns and a repetition rate of 653 kHz are achieved, and it indicates that the photothermal response time is far shorter than a microsecond, which is much faster than conventional thermo-optic switching based on dielectric photonic structures. We also provide rigorous theoretical analyses on the photothermal effect and generated Q-switched pulses, which agree well with the experimental results. Our work demonstrates a counterintuitive feature of the photothermal effect in a dielectric microcavity that paves the way to ultrafast thermo-optic switching and pulsed lasing.

Xiao, BowenHuazhong University of Science and Technology (author)
Zhao, Ping,1986Chalmers tekniska högskola,Chalmers University of Technology(Swepub:cth)pingz (author)
Ren, LinhaoChina University of Geosciences, Wuhan,Huazhong University of Science and Technology (author)
Zhu, SongNanyang Technological University,Huazhong University of Science and Technology (author)
Shi, LeiHuazhong University of Science and Technology (author)
Zhang, XinliangHuazhong University of Science and Technology (author)
Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyChalmers tekniska högskola (creator_code:org_t)

By the author/editor: Wang, Wenyu; Xiao, Bowen; Zhao, Ping, 1986; Ren, Linhao; Zhu, Song; Shi, Lei; show more...; Zhang, Xinliang; show less...

About the subject

NATURAL SCIENCES: NATURAL SCIENCES; and Physical Science ...; and Atom and Molecul ...

NATURAL SCIENCES: NATURAL SCIENCES; and Physical Science ...; and Other Physics To ...

Kungliga biblioteket hanterar dina personuppgifter i enlighet med EU:s dataskyddsförordning (2018), GDPR. Läs mer om hur det funkar här.
Så här hanterar KB dina uppgifter vid användning av denna tjänst.