Continuous-wave oscillation of a monomode ytterbium-doped fibre laser

The authors investigate a ytterbium doped fibre laser which provides a very 'clean' system (i.e. free from excited state absorption. Apart from the energy levels around 11000 cm/sup -1/ there are no other levels until the ultra-violet). The ytterbium fibre laser should offer a good system on which to test some of the basic physics of fibre lasers. In addition it offers 3-level, 4-level and quasi 3-level laser transitions. They describe the characteristics of a ytterbium-doped, silica based, monomode fibre laser operating at discrete wavelengths in the range 1035 nm to 1076 nm.<
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