Yb-doped strictly all-fiber laser actively Q-switched by intermodal acousto-optic modulation

VILLEGAS, IRMA; CUADRADO LABORDE, CHRISTIAN; DIEZ, ANTONIO; CRUZ, JOSE LUIS; MARTINEZ-GAMEZ, MARIA; ANDRES BOU, MIGUEL

LASER PHYSICS

MAIK NAUKA/INTERPERIODICA/SPRINGER

Año: 2011 vol. 21 p. 1650 - 1655

1054-660X

We show an actively Q-switched ytterbium-doped strictly all-fiber laser. Cavity loss modulation is achieved in a tapered optical fiber by core-to-cladding mode-coupling induced by travelling flexural acoustic waves. When the acoustical signal is switched-off, the optical power losses within the cavity are reduced, and then a laser pulse is emitted. Trains of Q-switched pulses were successfully obtained at repetition rates in the range 1-10 kHz, with pump powers between 59 mW and 88 mW, at the optical wavelength of 1064.1 nm. Best results were for laser pulses of 118 mW peak power, 1.8 micro seconds of time width, with a pump power of 79 mW, at 7 kHz repetition rate