Tunable multiwavelength narrow linewidth Brillouin erbium fiber laser based on Rayleigh backscattering

A Rayleigh backscattering (RBS) assisted Brillouin erbium fiber laser scheme with multiwavelength narrow linewidth output is proposed and investigated experimentally. The stimulated Brillouin scattering and RBS take place at two conventional single-mode fibers (SMFs), respectively. RBS is used as a mechanism to compress the linewidth of each Stokes component, and it has been realized and maximized in conventional SMF by optimizing injection power of Stokes light through adjusting variable optical attenuator (VOA). By adjusting VOA attenuation, the laser can obtain three wavelengths output with 3 dB linewidth less than 2 KHz for each wavelength, or six wavelengths output with 3 dB linewidth less than 5 KHz.