Control of Multi-Pulse and Bound-State Operations in an All-Polarization-Maintaining Figure-9 Erbium-Doped Mode-Locked Fiber Laser

This work presents the design and implementation of an all-polarization-maintaining figure-9 erbium-doped fiber laser operating in the dispersion-managed soliton regime. By adjusting the pump power, intracavity splitting ratio, and polarization state, various stable mode-locked pulse regimes were achieved. Experimentally, stable single-pulse operation, composite bound states, tightly bound states, loosely bound states, and multi-pulse states consisting of two to five pulses at pump powers of 420 mW, 520 mW, 630 mW, and 740 mW were successfully obtained. The experimental results contribute to a deeper understanding of multi-soliton dynamics. Moreover, the laser features a simple structure, self-starting operation, stable operation, and flexible control of mode-locking states, and may therefore provide a potential approach for related application studies.