[INVITED] Multiwavelength operation of erbium-doped fiber-ring laser for temperature measurements

In this work, simultaneous lasing at up to eight wavelengths is demonstrated in a multi-wavelength erbium-doped fiber ring laser previously reported. This is achieved by introducing a feedback fiber loop in a fiber ring cavity. Eight-wavelength laser emission lines were obtained simultaneously in single-longitudinal mode operation showing a power instability lower than 0.8 dB, and an optical signal-to-noise ratio higher than 42 dB for all the emitted wavelengths. The fiber Bragg gratings give this source the possibility to be also used as sensor-network multiplexing scheme. The application of this system for remote temperature measurements has been demonstrated obtaining good time stability results. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.