Stabilizing the Soliton Laser

Abstract

In the soliton laser, feedback from a pulse-shaping fiber enables the production of ultrafast pulses of controlled shape and width. Successful operation, however, requires maintenance of the correct optical phase of this feedback. We describe a simple but effective servo control that locks to the required phase, while simultaneously stabilizing output power. We also show that the stabilized soliton laser action involves passive mode-locking. Finally, we describe experiments that reveal, in considerable detail, how the pulse shaping takes place. In particular, our experiments show that closure is not required separately of the laser's two coupled cavities. Copyright © 1986 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.