Microsecond Pulse Generation in an Actively Q-Switched All-PM Fiber Laser Based on an Electro-Optic Modulator

Active Q-switching of an all polarizationmaintaining (All-PM) erbium fiber laser by an electro-optic modulator (EOM) is reported. Cavity loss modulation is achieved via an external modulation signal generated from an electrical signal source. The Q-switched pulsed laser operates in the
$\displaystyle \mathbf{1.5\ \mu m}$
region with 0.83 nm linewidth. The shortest pulse width obtained is
$\displaystyle \mathbf{1.06\ \mu s}$
. We believe that this combination between all-PM configuration and EOM offers an ideal method to design single-polarization pulsed laser sources with high environmental stability towards temperature variations and mechanical perturbations.