A method to mode lock a Fabry–Perot laser diode (F–P LD) by purely optical means is proposed. Two F–P modes are mutually injection locked with the aid of injected cw light at the center frequency of the two modes. The other F–P modes are cascadingly mode locked owing to the cavity-enhanced nondegenerate four-wave mixing in the F–P LD. The principle of the method was confirmed by observing the linewidth narrowing of the lasing longitudinal modes and the generated optical pulse train at the repetition frequency of one F–P mode spacing.

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