Investigation of soliton pairs in an erbium-doped fiber laser with large normal dispersion

We experimentally investigate the soliton pairs in a passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser with large normal cavity dispersion. By adjusting the polarization state, four different kinds of soliton pairs are achieved. The pulses in soliton pairs exhibit different temporal separations, and show randomly distributed spikes on the top-flat of spectra. The pulse-pulse interactions in the soliton pairs are investigated, and it is suggested that the pulse separation, pulse duration, and their relative intensities all determine the strength of pulse interactions. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved