Vector patterns and dynamics in fiber laser cavities

Year: 2016

Authors: Wabnitz S., Lecaplain C., Grelu P.

Autors Affiliation: University of Bourgogne; INO-CNR; University of Brescia

Abstract: In the absence of a fast saturable absorber, the temporal dynamics of vector fiber ring lasers still exhibits a rich and complex behavior, which can be addressed through universal distributed Ginzburg-Landau models. The continuous-wave mode of operation can be subject to Benjamin-Feir instabilities leading to stable antiphase pulsing. In the modulational stable regime, chaotic light emission featuring spatiotemporal intermittent pulsing can exhibit a transition toward stable antiphase patterns of polarization-domain structures. In the average normal dispersion regime, a mechanism of polarization-domain-wall formation can result from the simple conservative balance between dispersion and nonlinearity. These mechanisms are compared with experimental observations.

Journal/Review:

KeyWords: Dispersion (waves); Domain walls; Fiber lasers; Polarization; Ring lasers; Saturable absorbers, Anti-phase dynamics; Benjamin-Feir instabilities; Ginzburg-Landau equations; Polarization switching; Vector dynamics, Dynamics