Ultrafast 2 µm mode-locking enabled by calcined zeolite beta nanoparticle optical modulators

Chiam, Joe Win and Ahmad, Harith and Yi, Chong Wu and Garcia, Raquel and Pérez-Pariente, Joaquín and Sánchez-Sánchez, Manuel and Thambiratnam, Kavintheran and Sun, Shufeng (2026) Ultrafast 2 µm mode-locking enabled by calcined zeolite beta nanoparticle optical modulators. Photonics and Nanostructures - Fundamentals and Applications, 72 (B). pp. 1-7. ISSN 1569-4410 E-ISSN 1569-4429

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Abstract

This work demonstrates, for the first time, the use of calcined Zeolite Beta (BEA) nanoparticles as a high-performance optical modulator in a thulium-doped fibre laser (TDFL) cavity. As saturable absorbers (SAs), the BEA nanoparticles exhibit robust nonlinear properties, including a modulation depth of 4.2 at 1950 nm. Incorporating the BEA SA into the TDFL cavity enables the generation of stable mode-locked pulses with a 1.42 ps pulse duration and a 13.8 MHz repetition rate. The system has a high level of operational reliability, as evidenced by a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of ∼58 dB and negligible fluctuations in output power over extended observation periods. The results of this work show that calcined BEA is a scalable and cost-effective alternative to traditional non-linear optical modulator materials, including 2D materials, and paves the way for a new frontier in ultrafast mid-infrared photonics. © 2026 Elsevier B.V.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Additional Information:	Cited by: 0; All Open Access, Green Open Access
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Cost effectiveness; Light modulation; Light modulators; Locks (fasteners); Mode-locked fiber lasers; Nanoparticles; Nonlinear optics; Optical signal processing; Saturable absorbers; Thulium; 2 µm; Fiber laser cavity; Modelocking; Nonlinear properties; Optical-; Performance; Thulium-doped fiber laser; Thulium-doped fibers; Ultra-fast; Zeolite beta; Pulse repetition rate
Subjects:	Q Science > QC Physics
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Science Kulliyyah of Science > Department of Physics
Depositing User:	Ts. Dr. Kavintheran Thambiratnam
Date Deposited:	19 Oct 2026 08:36
Last Update:	19 Oct 2026 08:36
Queue Number:	2026-10-Q5660
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/131797
Indexed In:	WOS and SCOPUS

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