A fast self-correcting ultrashort fiber laser with a genetic algorithm

We experimentally demonstrated a fast and effective intelligent optimization algorithm to obtain the self-correcting ultrashort pulse emission from a nonlinear polarization rotation mode-lock fiber laser. The temporal trace corresponding to the optical spectrum is measured by the time-stretched dispersive Fourier transform technique, which functions as the monitoring signal. Subsequently, the genetic algorithm is proposed to finely control the electronic polarization controller for self-correcting pulse generation. The target state could be realized after five generations of iterations. By combining dispersive Fourier transform technique and genetic algorithms, the total adjustment time can be minimized to six seconds. These findings indicate an effective route to obtain robust and self-correcting ultrashort fiber lasers.