Gain-switched 2 μm fiber laser pumped by a Q-switching and mode-locking self-pulsing Er-doped fiber laser

This paper reports on the first gain-switched fiber laser in the 2 mu m region that uses an adjustable self-pulsing Erdoped QML fiber laser as a pumping source. By adjusting the output of the self-pulsing laser, a stable gainswitched pulse with a minimum duration of 366.2 ns and an adjustable repetition frequency of 37-73 kHz at 1959 nm is generated. The maximum output power achieved is 26.5 mW, with a pulse energy of 0.35 mu J and a slope efficiency relative to the pumping power of 4.6 %. Our study demonstrates the potential of an adjustable self-pulsing fiber laser as an effective pumping source for gain-switched fiber lasers.