Generation of vector soliton mode-locked Er-doped fiber laser using ZrTe ₂ as saturable absorber

We demonstrate a passively mode-locked fiber laser employing zirconium telluride (ZrTe ₂ ) as saturable absorber and illustrate its application for vector soliton generation in erbium-doped fiber lasers. By tuning the pump power and polarization controller, stable mode-locked operations in different operations are obtained with different cavity lengths. In addition, we also further research on characteristics of the vector solitons formed in fiber laser. The vector features of the obtained solitons are experimentally explored, and these solitons are proved to be group velocity locked vector solitons. Our research results indicate that ZrTe ₂ nanosheets could be available saturable absorber for ultrashort pulse fiber lasers, especially for generating vector soliton pulses in fiber lasers.