Random lasers are a type of lasers that lack typical resonator structures, offering benefits such as easy integration, low cost, and low spatial coherence. These features make them popular for speckle-free imaging and random number generation. However, due to their high threshold and phase instability, the production of picosecond random lasers has still been a challenge. In this work, we have developed three dyes incorporating polymer optical fibers doped with various scattering nanoparticles to produce short-pulsed random fiber lasers. Notably, stable picosecond random laser emission lasting 600 ps is observed at a low pump energy of 50 µJ, indicating the gain-switching mechanism. Population inversion and gain undergo an abrupt surge as the intensity of the continuously pumped light nears the threshold level. When the intensity of the continuously pumped light reaches a specific value, the number of inversion populations in the “scattering cavity” surpasses the threshold rapidly. Simulation results based on a model that considers power-dependent gain saturation confirmed the above phenomenon. This research helps expand the understanding of the dynamics behind random medium-stimulated emission in random lasers and opens up possibilities for mode locking in these systems.

随机激光器由于其独特的结构和低相干性，在无散斑成像、传感、光治疗等领域中得到广泛应用。随机激光器的反馈机制是无序介质引入的光散射，高阈值和无方向性是其主要缺点。为解决这些问题，研究者们利用光纤的一维束缚获得低阈值并有一定方向性的光纤随机激光。近十年来，随机激光的发展经历了从非相干反馈到相干反馈、从完全无序到输出参数可控的过程。大量研究尝试用量子理论、混沌激光理论和数值分析等方法来解释随机激光的物理本质。回顾了随机激光和光纤随机激光的起源和发展历史，介绍了随机激光的分类和相关原理，总结了调控随机激光输出参数的方法并展示了随机激光的新近典型应用，分析了光纤随机激光的反馈类型和增益机制，并在最后展望了随机激光未来的发展趋势。