High-peak-power and wavelength tunable acousto-optic Q-switched Er:ZBLAN fiber laser

We demonstrate Q-switching operation of a single-moded mid-infraredEr(3+)-doped ZBLAN (Er:ZBLAN) fiber laser based on an acousto-optic modulator. The fiber laser can produce steady Q-switched pulses as short as 24.8 ns at an average output power of 45.7 mW with a single transverse mode, corresponding to a peak power of 18.4 kW. In addition, a wavelength tuning range from 2715.4 to 2790.4 nm is also achieved in the Q-switching regime at the repetition rate of 1 kHz. The experimental results demonstrate the huge potential of producing mid-infrared energetic and wavelength tunable short-pulses in an actively Q-switched Er:ZBLAN fiber laser.