A Theoretical Investigation of an Ultrawide S-, C- and L-Band-Tunable Random Fiber Laser Based on the Combination of Tellurite Fiber and Erbium-Doped Fiber

Abstract

In this paper, we present a new scheme to generate ultrawide tunable random fiber lasers (RFLs) covering the S-, C- and L-band by combining the broadband Raman gain in tellurite fibers and the active gain in erbium-doped fibers. A numerical simulation based on the power-balance model is conducted to verify the feasibility of the ultrawide tunable random fiber lasing generation. Pumped by a 1450 nm laser, the tunable random Raman fiber laser in the ranges of 1480–1560 nm and 1590–1640 nm can only be realized with a tellurite fiber. To further fill in the emission gap in the range of 1560–1590 nm, the erbium-doped fiber is incorporated in the cavity, which can provide efficient erbium-doped gain in the C- and L-band. By combining a 100 m long tellurite fiber and an 8 m long erbium-doped fiber, an ultrawide tunable RFL based on hybrid erbium–Raman gain can be realized with a wavelength tuning range (1480 nm–1640 nm) covering the S-, C- and L-band at 3.5 W pump power. Such a widely tunable RFL is of great importance in applications such as optical communication, sensing and imaging.

Keywords

• random fiber laser
• Rayleigh backscattering
• tellurite fiber
• hybrid gain