One-step precipitation of Ag nanoparticles in Ag⁺-doped silicate glasses was achieved through a focused picosecond laser with a high repetition rate. Absorption spectra and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed that metallic Ag nanoparticles were precipitated within glass samples in the laser-written domain. The surface plasmon absorbance fits well with the experimental absorption spectrum. The nonlinear absorption coefficient β is determined to be 2.47 × 10^-14 m/W by fitting the open aperture Z-scan curve, which originated from the intraband transition in the s-p Ag band. The formation mechanism of Ag-glass nanocomposites is discussed as well.

A passively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber (EDF) laser is proposed and demonstrated utilizing a zirconium disulfide (ZrS₂)-based saturable absorber (SA). ZrS₂ nanosheets are prepared, whose modulation depth, saturation intensity, and nonsaturable absorbance are measured to be 14.7%, 0.34 MW/cm², and 17.4%, respectively. Then, a Q-switched EDF laser is implemented by the ZrS₂-SA. The pulse repetition rate varies from 40.65 to 87.1 kHz when the pump power changes from 55 to 345 mW. The shortest pulse width is 1.49 μs with pulse energy of 33.5 nJ. As far as we know, this is the shortest pulse width obtained by a ZrS₂-SA so far.

With tin diselenide (SnSe₂) film as a saturable absorber (SA), the passively Q-switched self-frequency doubling (SFD) lasers were realized in Nd³⁺:ReCa₄O(BO₃)₃ (Re = Y, Gd) crystals. For Nd:YCa₄O(BO₃)₃ crystal, the maximum average output power at 532 nm was 19.6 mW, and the corresponding pulse repetition frequency, pulse duration, single pulse energy, and peak power were 17.6 kHz, 91.9 ns, 1.1 μJ, and 12.1 W, respectively. For Nd:GdCa₄O(BO₃)₃ crystal, these values were 14.5 mW, 22.1 kHz, 48.7 ns, 0.66 μJ, and 13.5 W.

Compared with the extensively studied MoS₂ and WS₂, WTe₂ owns a smaller bandgap, which is applicable to a near-infrared system in photodetectors, communications, and ultrafast optics. In this work, the WTe₂ saturable absorber (SA) with the tapered fiber structure is prepared by the magnetron-sputtering technology, which enables the prepared SA to be low in cost and have strong nonlinearity. The modulation depth of the prepared WTe₂ SA is measured as 31.06%. The Q-switched fiber laser operating at 1.5 μm is successfully investigated by incorporating the proposed SA into the prepared ring cavity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt of WTe₂ in the Q-switched fiber laser at 1.5 μm.

We experimentally demonstrate an ultrafast mode-locker based on a CoSb3 skutterudite topological insulator for femtosecond mode-locking of a fiber laser. The mode-locker was implemented on a side-polished fiber platform by depositing a CoSb3/PVA composite. The measured modulation depth and saturation power for the transverse-electric mode input were ～5% and ～8.7 W, respectively, and ～2.8% and ～10.6 W for the transverse-magnetic mode input. By incorporating this mode-locker into an erbium-doped fiber-based ring cavity, we were able to readily generate mode-locked, soliton pulses having a pulse width of ～833 fs at 1557.9 nm. The 3-dB bandwidth of the output pulses and time-bandwidth product were ～3.44 and 0.353 nm, respectively. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the use of a skutterudite-based saturable absorber for femtosecond mode-locked pulse generation.

We experimentally demonstrate high-efficiency and broadband four-wave mixing in a silicon-graphene strip waveguide. A four-wave mixing conversion efficiency of 38.7 dB and a 3-dB conversion bandwidth of 35 nm are achieved in the silicon-graphene strip waveguide with an optimized light-graphene interaction length of 60 μm. The interaction length is controlled by a windowed area of silica layer on the silicon waveguide. Numerical simulations and experimental studies are carried out and show a nonlinear parameter γGOS as large as 104 W 1 ·m 1.