Q-switched erbium-doped fibre laser based on molybdenum disulfide and tungsten disulfide as saturable absorbers

A passively Q-switched erbium-doped fibre laser is experimentally implemented, using molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and tungsten disulfide (WS2) as saturable absorbers. The results testify that a WS2-based Q-switched fibre laser generates more stable pulse trains, if compared with the MoS2-based saturable absorber. The wavelength region where the Q-switched pulses have been obtained is a so-called C-band region.The central wavelengths are 1559 and 1560 nm for MoS2 and WS2, respectively.