Influence of cooling on a bismuth-doped fiber laser and amplifier performance.

We characterize bismuth-doped fibers under different excitation wavelengths. The fiber laser performance at 1179 nm was investigated, incorporating different cooling arrangements. Effective heat extraction can reduce the temperature-dependent unsaturable loss in fiber, resulting in increased laser performance. The operation of a bismuth-doped fiber amplifier at 1179 nm, at both low and high input signals, is also examined. The amplifier efficiency and the saturation power both depend on effective fiber cooling.