Kerr Effect as a Mode Locker in Er-Doped Fiber Laser

We propose and demonstrate a passively mode-locked all-fiber laser utilizing a multimode interference effect in graded-index multimode fiber (GIMF). The mode-locking is obtained due to the Kerr effect in GIMF, which induces the intensity modulation inside the ring cavity laser. We obtain stable soliton mode-locked pulses at a center wavelength of 1574.1 nm, with a fixed repetition rate of 22 MHz and a pulse duration of 650 fs, when the pump power is changed in the range from 66.2 to 140.0 mW. The maximum average output power and pulse energy are recorded at 9.82 mW and 448 pJ, respectively, at a pump power of 140 mW. This proves that a nonlinear optical response in GIMF can be used as a new modulation mechanism for obtaining ultra-short pulses based on all-fiber ring cavity.