Noise-like pulses with an extremely broadband spectrum in passively mode-locked fiber lasers

Using numerical simulation, we investigate the formation of noise-like pulses with an extremely broadband spectrum in passively mode-locked fiber lasers. The mechanism of spectral broadening is due to the Kerr nonlinearity of the fibers making up the laser cavity. It is found that optimization of the nonlinear-dispersion parameters of the fiber cavity can lead to the generation of noise-like pulses with a spectral width exceeding the gain bandwidth by a factor of more than 10. (C) 2021 Optical Society of America