Mitigation of photodarkening phenomenon in fiber lasers by 633 nm light exposure

In this work, the influence of photodarkening (PD) and photobleaching (PB) on the lasing features of the ytterbium-doped aluminosilicate fiber lasers is examined. Simultaneous PD and PB with 633 nm irradiation was monitored at the lasing wavelength of 1070 nm and compared with individually caused PD and PB effects. The variation of laser threshold and slope efficiency was reported. By analyzing the laser performances it was found that the ratio of excess loss at 633 and 1070 nm is expected to be less than 20. In addition, considerable mitigation of the PD with 633 nm light irradiation is demonstrated. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America