Generation of high-energy self-mode-locked pulses in a Tm-doped fiber laser

The incorporation of a material-based or artificial saturable absorber into a fiber laser cavity imposes a limitation on energy enhancement owing to its low damage threshold and high environmental sensitivity. To address this issue, one promising alternative approach is the utilization of the self-mode-locking technique. Here, we present a robust self-mode-locked Tm-doped fiber laser with high pulse energy emission. A simple and compact fiber laser structure is realized by utilizing a section of a Tm-doped fiber, serving both as a gain medium and a saturable absorber. Thus, the operational stability is enhanced, especially under high-energy conditions. Furthermore, the realization of high-energy pulses is accomplished through the integration of dispersion management technique. Experimental results reveal that the maximum single-pulse energy increases from 34.8 pJ to 120.2 nJ as the round-trip group delay dispersion decreases from −0.43 to −12.40 ps². The proposed self-mode-locked Tm-doped fiber laser under high-energy operation exhibits remarkable performance. Our results provide a simple approach to obtaining a mid-infrared laser source with high pulse energy and hold significant potential for advancing high-energy laser systems.