Impact of self-phase modulation on the operation of Fourier domain mode locked lasers

Abstract Fourier domain mode locked (FDML) lasers are a class of frequency-swept that used to generate optical pulses with wide sweep range, high repetition rate, and low instantaneous bandwidth. They commonly in sensing imaging applications, especially coherence tomography. Ideally, the aspired features design FDML include length, large bandwidth, adjustable output power, signal noise ratio (SNR). However, SNR is often lower than desired due presence several irregularities pattern, most notably because frequent occurrence sharp power dips, also known as holes. These dips originate nonlinear gain dynamics semiconductor amplifier (SOA) employed lasers, while frequency strength these determined by interaction laser components, which involve SOA, tunable Fabry–Perot filter, delay fiber. Suppressing not only increases quality terms SNR, but precludes accumulation phase offsets between subsequent roundtrips facilitates convergence. As both current future applications likely require higher this paper, we going investigate effect self-phase modulation (SPM) fiber on dip formation Since nonlinearity, intracavity length all contribute SPM, investigation SPM power-dips operational convergence critical. More importantly, phase-mismatch caused fiber-based cannot be compensated easily an case chromatic dispersion, necessitates strategy for minimizing ensure secure limit lasers.