Multi-pulses dynamic patterns in a topological insulator mode-locked ytterbium-doped fiber laser

Multi-pulse dynamic patterns have been experimentally observed in an Ytterbium-doped fiber laser passively mode locked by a topological insulator (TI) Bi2Te3 saturable absorber (SA). The fundamental mode-locking operation with a repetition rate of ~1.10MHz was achieved under a pump power of ~160mW with an appropriate setting of the polarization controller (PC). It was found that through either changing the pump power or rotating the orientation of intra-cavity PC, several characteristic modes have been experimentally observed, including disordered multi-pulses, bunch of pulses, and soliton rains. Simultaneously, quasi-square pulses have also been observed in the laser cavity. Our systematic study clearly demonstrated that TI could be developed as an effective SA for the generation of different pulse operation states in a passively mode-locked all-normal-dispersion Ytterbium-doped fiber laser.