Real-time buildup dynamics of additive dissipative soliton in mode-locked fiber lasers

Abstract Multi-soliton operation is a universal phenomenon in mode-locked lasers, which is generally considered to be generated from pulse splitting or pulse shaping of dispersive waves. Here, we experimentally unveiled the formation dynamics of additive dissipative soliton (ADS) in mode-locked fiber lasers by means of the time stretched technique. Two distinct evolution ways can be observed during the ADS formation process. One way is pulse splitting which corresponds to the soliton molecules with relatively close separation, while the other one is generated from background noise which corresponds to multi-solitons with loose separation. Due to the environmental perturbation, the former process undergoes transient quasi-periodic dissipative soliton explosion before the soliton molecules are stable and the latter way may suffer transient standstill before the formation of additive soliton. These findings could provide some assistance for further enhancing the comprehension of the buildup of multiple soliton and soliton molecules in dissipative systems.