Actively Q-switched fiber lasers: Switching dynamics and nonlinear processes

The Q-switching characteristics of actively Q-switched fiber lasers, especially the inconsistency of experimental observations with traditional Q-switching theory, are reviewed first in this paper. Based on a few typical high-power Q-switched rare-earth-doped fiber lasers, the switching dynamics in the linear and ring fiber cavities is then systematically illustrated under different fiber, pumping and switching conditions by using the traveling wave method, which leads to a new understanding of Q-switched fiber lasers. In particular, the switching-induced perturbation and its influence on the Q-switched outputs are emphasized, and some experimental demonstrations are shown for the purpose of comparison. Nonlinearity is an important concern in these lasers due to the high-power optical pulses confined in small fiber cores. In the second part of this paper, some nonlinear effects, such as self-phase modulation (SPM), four-wave mixing (FWM), stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), in Q-switched fiber lasers are discussed. In particular, their temporal and spectral influences on the Q-switched outputs are analyzed experimentally and theoretically. These theoretical analyses and experimental demonstrations provide a complete picture of the switching dynamics and optical nonlinear processes in Q-switched fiber lasers, and are hence important for laser optimization and control.