Internal nonlinear transmission in an Yb mode-locked fiber laser through bifurcations

Mode-locked fiber lasers are rich dynamical systems that may present several different types of pulsed operating modes, depending on external control parameters such as pump power. A systematic experimental characterization of such regimes is a challenging problem. Here single pulse regimes of ytterbium mode-locked fiber laser are explored and related to the nonlinear amplitude modulation affecting the pulses inside the laser cavity. To understand the full dynamics of this system, average power measurements (slow time scale) have been performed and compared to simultaneous time-resolved measurements (fast time scale). The average nonlinear transmission resulting from the amplitude modulation is measured, allowing to relate the transitions between dynamical regimes to the system's nonlinearity.