10-W random fiber laser based on Er/Yb co-doped fiber

•A 1550 nm single-stage random fiber laser based on erbium-ytterbium co-doped fiber (EYDF) is realized.•The output power and slope efficiency of the 1550-nm RFL based on the EYDF are increased to 10 W level and 36.7%, respectively.•The influence of different fiber lengths on the generation threshold of Yb-ASE is studied experimentally. In this study, we presented a 1550-nm, high-power, high-efficiency random fiber laser to improve the output power and slope efficiency of erbium-ytterbium co-doped fiber–based random fiber lasers. By optimizing the length of the erbium-ytterbium co-doped fiber and increasing the 3-dB reflection bandwidth of fiber Bragg grating, the output power and slope efficiency of the random fiber laser were improved. Furthermore, the influence of different fiber lengths on the generation threshold of the amplified spontaneous emission from the Yb3+-ions was studied. An output power of more than 10 W was achieved, with a slope efficiency of 36.7 % and a single transverse mode output. The proposed random fiber laser showed excellent stability in the millisecond scale and long timescale (10 min). The findings of this study can provide a basis for the development of high-performance light sources for a variety of applications.