Switchable multiwavelength fiber laser using erbium-doped twin-core fiber and nonlinear polarization rotation

Abstract

We propose and demonstrate a switchable multiwavelength fiber laser using erbium-doped twin-core fiber (ED-TCF) and nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR). The number switchability of lasing wavelengths being switched from 1 to 4 and wavelength location switchability could be achieved simultaneously in the proposed configuration with a wavelength spacing of 1.1 nm and an optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR) larger than 43 dB. The output laser powers at different wavelengths are nearly the same with a fluctuation less than 2 dB. The proposed fiber laser shows good stability with wavelength shift within 0.01 nm and peak power fluctuation less than 5 dB. The proposed fiber laser has the advantages of simple structure and stable operation.