Broadband quasi-stationary pulses in mode-locked fiber ring laser

We show experimentally an enhancement and systematic dependence of the optical spectral bandwidth of quasi-stationary or noise-like pulses due to changes in the net dispersion of a fiber ring laser cavity. When the net dispersion-was significantly normal a maximum spectral width of about 80 nm was obtained compared to about 30 nm where no dispersion mapping was used. We numerically show that this is a result of the strong nonlinear chirping due to the propagation of quasi-stationary pulses in the dispersion-managed cavity. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.