Ultrafast photonics of two dimensional AuTe2Se4/3 in fiber lasers

Two dimensional materials can exhibit unique optical properties, making them interesting for new photonic devices and laser sources. Here, the strong optical nonlinearity of AuTe2Se4/3 is exploited to achieve a femtosecond infra-red laser with high stability. The exploration of promising nonlinear optical materials, which allows for the construction of high-performance optical devices in fundamental and industrial applications, has become one of the fastest-evolving research interests in recent decades and plays a key role in the development and innovation of optics in the future. Here, by utilizing the optical nonlinearity of a recently synthesized, two dimensional material AuTe2Se4/3 prepared by the self-flux method, a passively mode-locked fiber laser operating at 1557.53 nm is achieved with 147.7 fs pulse duration as well as impressive stability (up to 91 dB). The proposed mode-locked fiber laser reveals superior overall performance compared with previously reported lasers which are more widely studied in the same band. Our work not only investigates the optical nonlinearity of AuTe2Se4/3, but also demonstrates its ultrafast photonics application. These results may stimulate further innovation and advancement in the field of nonlinear optics and ultrafast photonics.