title: Passively Q-switched Tm3+, Ho3+-doped silica fiber laser using a highly nonlinear saturable absorber and dynamic gain pulse compression.
abstract: We demonstrate a compact core-pumped 2 microm Tm(3+), Ho(3+)- doped all-fiber laser passively Q-switched with an antimony-based saturable absorber. The 20 ns pulses are the shortest Q-switched pulses from a fiber laser operating beyond 1850 nm and were produced at a repetition rate of 57 kHz and pulse energy of 15 microJ using a short-length (4 ns) cavity. The large absorber modulation depth of approximately 70% together with transient gain compression is shown to provide an efficient mechanism for Q-switched pulse shortening.
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 692, FIN-33101 Tampere, Finland. samuli.kivisto@tut.fi
authors.forename: Samuli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kivistö
authors.forename: Riku
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Koskinen
authors.forename: Jonna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Paajaste
authors.forename: Stuart D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Mircea
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guina
authors.forename: Oleg G
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Okhotnikov