Abstract
The main point of this invention is to bring out a new method for stabilizing harmonic modelocked fiber lasers. This new method utilizes direct-coupled or side-coupled reflective fiber grating resonators to stabilize the harmonic modelocked fibers lasers and has the following advantages compared to other existing methods: (1) the configuration is all-fiber integrated. (2) By using reflective fiber grating resonators, one can achieve stabilization of laser output, seleciton of lasing wavelength, and intracavity dispersion compensation simultaneously without requiring other additional optical components in the laser cavity. The configuration of laser cavity is thus more compact and economic. (3) The reflective fiber grating resonator is particularly suitable for a linear laser cavity. This is because it can simultaneously act as the cavity mirror and achieve stabilization of laser output, selection of lasing wavelength, and intracavity dispersion compensation simultaneously. (4) By using reflective fiber grating resonators, one can design and implement economic multi-wavelength-output modelocked fiber lasers to be used as the WDM laser source.