Stabilizing Brillouin random laser with photon localization by feedback of distributed random fiber grating array

Abstract

Strong scattering random media can localize light and extend photon lifetime through multiple scattering, which offers opportunities for stabilizing random lasers. Here, we demonstrate a frequency stabilized Brillouin random laser with high coherence enabled by photon localization in random fiber grating array (RFGA). Photon trapping is realized due to wave interference in multi-scattering Fabry–Pérot (FP) cavities between random fiber gratings enabling light localization to prolong photon lifetime. The formation of the high finesse peaks of RFGA suppresses multi-longitudinal modes, which offers single-mode operation at high pump power. The RFGA distributed feedback-based Brillouin random fiber laser (BRFL) maintains a small frequency drift with the pump laser (a phase-locked laser with a linewidth of 100 Hz) at 51 kHz/s for a total change of 620 kHz over 12 s. Note there is no locking between the two lasers, and the beat frequency is measured by the optical heterodyne method. The correlation coefficient change of the measured optical beat frequency is maintained at 4.5%. This indicates that the BRFL is capable of maintaining a small optical frequency difference with the phase-locked pump laser over 12 s thanks to the RFGA capable of trapping photons in the same path, which is a remarkable feature for a random fiber laser. Furthermore, we confirm the single-mode lasing with a long lifetime in the stabilizing BRFL by the replica symmetry behavior and ultralow intensity noise at high pump power. Our findings explore a new approach to stabilize the frequency of Brillouin random lasers passively without commonly used active phase locking laser themes, which makes a simple and cost-effective system.