Tunable multiwavelength erbium-doped fiber laser based on intensity-dependent loss and intra-cavity loss modulation

A tunable multiwavelength erbium-doped fiber laser is proposed and experimentally studied. The intensity-dependent loss (IDL) in a nonlinear optical loop mirror is utilized for stable multiwavelength lasing output. The accurate switch operation, i.e., the lasing lines emerge/disappear one by one at the longer wavelength side of the initial one, is achieved by adjusting the intra-cavity loss using a variable attenuator. The effect of the intra-cavity loss on the lasing characteristics is theoretically analyzed. Numerical results confirm the experiment measurements and suggest that both the IDL and the gain spectrum, which vary with the intra-cavity loss, lead to the observed tunable lasing behavior.