Gain-switched Operation of an All-fiberized Yb-doped Laser with 1.6 kW Peak Power

Abstract

The gain-switched operation of an all-fiberized Yb-doped fiber laser achieved by fast pump light modulation is reported. Based on an analytical calculation for the dependence of pulse duration on fiber length, we optimized a gain-switched Yb fiber laser, yielding a pulsed output with a maximum pulse en-ergy of 83 μJ and a pulse duration of 53 ns, corresponding to a very high peak power of 1.6 kW. Experi-mental results for the pulse energy and peak power showed good agreement with theoretical predictions. Further improvement of gain-switched Yb fiber lasers to achieve high pulse energy and short pulse width will be discussed.