Fine Structure of High-Energy Pulses from a Stimulated Brillouin Scattering-Assisted Q-Switch Tm-Doped Fiber Laser

Abstract

We have demonstrated a simple all-fiber thulium (Tm) laser Q-switched by stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). The maximum output pulse energy was 80 μJ. This allowed us to generate a broadband spectrum directly at the laser outputs. For the first time, we measured the fine structure of the output pulses with a resolution of less than 100 ps. It was found that the SBS Q-switched laser is capable of generating bunches of picosecond pulses. The effect of modulation instability on the pulse decay is discussed. The potential application of the investigated laser radiation for producing destructive effects on soft biological tissues has been demonstrated.

Keywords

• thulium
• thulium fiber laser
• Q-switch
• stimulated Brillouin scattering
• bunches of pulses
• broadband radiation