CFBG-Based Bidirectional Mode-Locked Fiber Laser Emitting Conventional and Dissipative Solitons

We report on the multi-state soliton generation in a chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) based bidirectional mode-locked fiber laser. In particular, a θ-shape associate cavity is designed to introduce reverse dispersion distributions in counter-propagation directions through incorporating the bidirectional reflection of the CFBG into the lasing oscillator. With a relatively compact cavity configuration, the clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) directions are managed into large anomalous and normal dispersion regimes, respectively. Consequently, conventional solitons (CSs) and dissipative solitons (DSs) can be emitted from the counter-propagation directions. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first report of CS/DS generation in a CFBG based bidirectional fiber laser. This investigation can contribute to research community of multiplexed ultrafast fiber lasers.