Robust Q-switching based on stimulated Brillouin scattering assisted by Fabry-Perot interference

Q-switching operation based on stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) has been developed for decades due to its inexpensive configuration, high pulse energy output, and the potential to be free from wavelength and material limitations. However, unstable and uncontrollable pulse output affected by SBS’s stochastic nature hinders its development. In this work, we demonstrated a unique robust SBS-based Q-switched all-fiber laser. Firstly, a numerical model is developed and a general analysis about the robust Q-switching mechanism is presented. Simulation results show that the spectrum modulation effect such as FP interference is efficient for system to realize steady and controllable output. Secondly, we incorporated a Fabry-Perot (FP) interferometer made of two un-contact end faces of fiber connectors into a SBS-based Q-switched system and demonstrated passively robust Q-switching with simpler and cheaper configuration than most reported ones. Under 600 mW pump power, the SNR was measured to be as high as 62.96 dB, which is the highest SNR obtained from SBS-based Q-switched lasers. To our best knowledge, this is the first demonstration of robust SBS-based Q-switching without any external measures.