Spectral and temporal dynamics of ultrashort pulses in a holmium-doped fibre amplifier

We have optimised a hybrid mode-locked holmiumdoped fibre laser and a holmium-doped fibre amplifier for obtaining stable pulses as short as possible. Temporal and spectral characteristics of pulsed light have been measured as functions of pump power. Lasing has been achieved in the wavelength range 2066–2068 nm, with a full width at half maximum of the emission spectrum from 3 to 4 nm. The pulse duration does not exceed 1 ps and the pulse energy ranges from 0.2 to 0.5 nJ. To raise the pulse energy, holmium-doped fibre amplifiers based on two types of active fibre have been used. We have demonstrated a decrease in the width of the central part of the pulse autocorrelation function and considerable broadening of the spectrum of the pulses. The maximum average power at the amplifier output exceeds 200 mW.