Generation and Control of Solitons and Solitonlike Pulses in a Femtosecond Ring Dye Laser.

摘要

The generation of solitons and solitonlike pulses is controlled in a passively mode-locked dye laser by adjustment of group -velocity dispersion, self-phase modulation, and spectral filtering. Without spectral filtering, periodic pulse shaping reminiscent of higher-order solitons is observed. The pulses differ from the classic solitons because of additional shaping mechanisms. With spectral filtering, pulses are generated that can be described analytically as asymmetric N=2 solitons. The results indicate an effect analogous to the soliton self-frequency shift observed in optical fibers. The remarkable stability achieved allows for accurate characterization and control. Reprints. (JHD)